Marco Tilio, Celtic’s £1.5m summer project signing from A-League side Melbourne City has put pen to paper on a loan deal that takes him back to his former club for the rest of this season.
Tilio picked up an injury while ion international duty with the Socceroos last summer, just a few days after signing for Celtic and arrived in Glasgow injured and out for several months. He managed two short substitute appearances in the Hoops in the first five months of the season but other than some minutes, he’s been unable to make an impact.
Tilio was a surprise call-up for the Socceroos squad for the Asian Cup – benefiting from the increase in squad size from 24 to 26 for the tournament, the Celtic project signing took one of the two extra spots.
The 22 year-old was clearly pleased that the anticipated return to Melbourne has gone through. “I’m thrilled to be back at City. The memories and experiences from my time here are unforgettable, and I can’t wait to contribute to the team’s success once again. The support from the fans has always been incredible, and I’m eager to create more memorable moments together this season,” Tilio said.
Melbourne City’s Head Coach Aurelio Vidmar was also pleased at Tilio’s return: “We are delighted to welcome a player of Marco’s calibre back to Melbourne City. His technical ability, vision and ability to run at defenders will make him an asset to our team. We’re confident his return will provide a boost as we look to continue to climb the table across the back end of the season.”
Tilio, who is currently away in Qatar with the Socceroos squad participating in the Asian Cup has decent stats at Melbourne City, scoring 20 goals and having 19 assists. He’ll be back at Celtic in the summer looking to make an impact last season.
Didn’t Tom Rogic – Celtic’s wonderful Wizard of Oz – return to Australia on loan shortly after signing for Celtic and that eventually turned out very well for all parties. Perhaps Tilio can take some encouragement for that as he looks to use his time back at Melbourne City to get him ready for another crack at making it at Celtic after an underwhelming first attempt.
🤩 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐄𝐄𝐄𝐄𝐄𝐄’𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊!
✍️ We’re delighted to announce the return of fan favourite Marco Tilio on loan for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
Presented by @DreamstreetAU.
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) January 31, 2024
CONFIRMED: Melbourne City have signed Celtic winger Marco Tilio on loan until the end of the season.
Tilio, who joined the Hoops from the A League club in the summer, is currently with Australia at the Asian Cup in Qatar. pic.twitter.com/0xIOCCJkXO
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) January 31, 2024
🚨🍀 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥
Marco Tilio has returned to Melbourne City.
The winger, who has made just two first-team appearances for Celtic, joins his old club on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Keep up to date with how he gets on down under by dropping us a follow! pic.twitter.com/QCmfcO6vIm
— Celtic Youth & Loan Updates (@CelticYLUpdates) January 31, 2024
🇦🇺 | 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙤 𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙤 – 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙊𝙯
Celtic winger Marco Tilio will return to Melbourne City after leaving the side for an Australian record transfer fee to Celtic in the summer.
The player will return to Celtic for the 24/25 campaign.
[@MelbourneCity] pic.twitter.com/Rnv3GTY9YY
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) January 31, 2024
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