THERE were four-year deals for players that raised a few eyebrows at Celtic last summer.

The jury remains sceptical about the value of such a contract for James McCarthy, who has featured only in sporadic bursts for Ange Postecoglou’s team this term, but an even longer, five-year agreement for Liel Abada looks like a considerable safety net for the Parkhead side.

The 20-year-old marked his first senior start for Israel with a goal in their UEFA Nations League meeting against Iceland on Thursday night as the trajectory of his career continues to follow an upward curve.

Abada featured in 54 games for Celtic last term and chipped in with 15 goals. There is an argument to suggest that only the form of Kyogo Furuhashi and then the impact of the January signings meant that he dipped under the radar a little.

What may also cause an arched eyebrow is that Abada is only 17 months older than Karamoko Dembele, whose contract comes to an end with Celtic later this month. Dembele first shot to prominence when a decision to field him in an under-20s game aged just 13 – second year of high school - incurred the furious wrath of then-manager Brendan Rodgers.

Whether he remains at Celtic or heads elsewhere remains to be seen but clearly he is at an age where he needs to be exposed to first-team football on a regular basis.

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Abada has already made his impact - and then some. At least one of those goals this term could be considered key to Celtic’s title-winning campaign. There was a volcanic eruption inside Parkhead as he netted a 90th-minute winner against Dundee United at the end of January.

A few days later and he was chipping in as Celtic steamrolled their way past Rangers and pushed themselves to the summit of the league. It was a position they did not relinquish for the remainder of the campaign.

Such form and the age he is at will invite eyes upon him, without question, especially if he can replicate it on the Champions League stage next term.

Certainly, his contribution to Celtic following his inaugural season with the club would suggest that he is the man in possession of a first-team jersey. A fully-fit attacking forward line consisting of Jota – if he remains at the club on a permanent basis – Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda, Abada and James Forrest would offer significant depth as well as serious competition for starts this coming season.

That depth will be necessary given that the campaign is unrelenting from kick-off this term with the timing of this year’s World Cup.

Abada is among those who could do with a break before Celtic return for their pre-season trip to Austria in July. Callum McGregor was easily Scotland’s best player on the pitch against Ukraine at Hampden on Wednesday night and there would be an expectation that those who have featured on international duty will be afforded extra days to recuperate before Celtic get ready to defend their title.