Luca Connell

They signed a player on the cheap from a team in administration, hoping he could contribute to their first team. They quickly realised that he wasn't first team ready and, due to a clear shortcoming in his ability (he's likely too slow a player to ever be good enough to be a regular for Celtic) they pretty much gave up on him, rather than do their best to make him the best player he could be.

Other big clubs know from a good way out when players aren't going to make the grade with their first team. But they still do their best to get them to as high a level as they can (not least because it could help them recoup their investment in the player). Celtic, for whatever reason, don't have a good record of doing this. Connell isn't good enough to play for Celtic, but he should never have been sent to the Scottish fourth tier with Queen's Park. Sending him there was a clear sign that Celtic had lost interest in the player.

Maybe, just maybe, he's not that good? Celtic's recruitment isn't infallible. Just from an Irish perspective, they signed Lee O'Connor and Jonathan Afolabi based on profile and who they were playing for rather than any cutting-edge insight; a load of the Irish-based players they sign go nowhere in their careers. 

You'd think if Connell was good enough he would've got a loan to a team higher up the food chain after his first loan spell, but no, it must be that Celtic are deliberately trying to sabotage his career.

People forget very quickly that Celtic were not the only team who wanted to sign him after that season, he was also linked with good EPL teams (like Spurs IIRC), so evidently his performances had impressed plenty of people. He's just a classy player and for anyone who has bothered to watch him a few times that would be self-evident, rather than attempting to revise past events in an attempt to write him off. The only thing he really lacks is pace, but that's hardly the end of the world for a centre mid.

He's also comparable to Kilkenny in terms of physical attributes.

Whether a lad playing well in the Scottish 3rd tier is good enough for our current 21's is up for debate.

We picked a very lean 5 midfielders for the last squad (Coventry/Devoy/Kilkenny/Smallbone/Tierney) and I'd expect the same list, bar maybe Smallbone who could be still working injuries.

There's certainly space in the squad for Connell as it stands.

this exactly.

The lad has bags of skill and if anyone watched him it would be clear to see. when you look at what he has done in 2 years its abundantly clear that he is much better than Queens Park. For Celtic not to have realised that is criminal. 

And the rest of Scottish football apparently.

All the Queen's Park games are on RTE Player.

Pointing out that there's been a precedent for granny rule players being hyped up beyond their ability, and that there is a rush to call up players when they're not ready/good enough because of the psychological effects of what happened with Grealish and Rice, is not whataboutery.