Brendan Rodgers chose to leave Luis Palma on the bench during Celtic’s 5-1 victory over ŠK Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday. The decision not to involve the Honduras international in the European fixture was highlighted by *El Heraldo*, which discussed the Celtic manager’s choice to limit Palma’s playing time.

This season, Palma has only accumulated 46 minutes on the pitch across three appearances for Celtic. However, he did make two starts for Honduras during the most recent international break. Honduras manager Reinaldo Rueda acknowledged that the 24-year-old has faced challenges at Celtic, noting that a muscle injury earlier this year kept him sidelined for a month between March and April, which has impacted his form and ability to secure regular playing time.

Former Honduras international Julio César de León has defended Palma’s current situation at Celtic, pointing to his recovery from injury as a key factor in his limited minutes. “The boy has been recovering from a minor knock, so let’s hope he gets things back on track and returns to the starting lineup,” de León said, as quoted by *El Heraldo*.

De León, Palma’s compatriot, also offered advice on how the winger could overcome his current struggles at the Scottish club. He explained the difficulty of regaining a spot in the starting lineup after suffering an injury, but encouraged Palma to adopt a more aggressive approach. “When you get injured, it’s hard to make it back into the starting XI, but he has the ability. He needs to show a bit more aggression on the field because, nowadays, you need to know how to impose yourself and earn respect,” de León remarked.

He went on to emphasize that Palma already possesses the technical skill needed to succeed, but pointed out that he needs to work on his physical conditioning. “He has the technical quality, but he needs to work more on the physical side, maybe spend more time in the gym. Once he does that, he will be a starter wherever he goes,” de León concluded.

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