Landon Emenalo has finally joined his Celtic teammates after completing his injury rehabilitation at Chelsea.

The 18-year-old arrived on loan in September but has had to wait to begin working with Martin O’Neill’s squad.

Emenalo has now spoken about what he believes he can offer Celtic, and his confidence certainly isn’t lacking. His comments also raise an interesting question about how O’Neill intends to use him.

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Landon Emenalo makes bold claim about positions he can play for Celtic

Speaking in his first interview as a Celtic player, Emenalo outlined the different positions he is comfortable playing.

Emenalo said: “I’m a left back. I can drift inside. I can play as a midfielder.”

The youngster also mentioned operating as a third centre-back before adding: “I’m a hard worker. I’m versatile. It’s not really a lot that I can’t do.”

That’s quite a statement from a teenager who has yet to make his senior Celtic debut. Against Premiership opponents who defend deep, Emenalo’s ability to drift into midfield could give Callum McGregor another passing option without O’Neill having to sacrifice an attacking player.

His willingness to operate in a back three also gives the Celtic manager another tactical option if he wants to change his defensive shape. But Emenalo might find himself spending most of his time in the position Celtic originally signed him to cover.

Celtic’s Kieran Tierney problem could limit Emenalo’s opportunities elsewhere

Jordan Lotomba replacing Kieran Tierney during Sunday’s 2-0 win over Motherwell showed how short Celtic are at left-back.

Lotomba is naturally a right-back, while Liam Scales was needed alongside Dane Murray in central defence because Cameron Carter-Vickers was injured.

Chris Sutton has already questioned the decision to sign Emenalo while injured, particularly given Tierney’s fitness history.

Emenalo’s arrival should finally give O’Neill a specialist alternative rather than forcing him to shuffle defenders around whenever Tierney needs replacing. That could be far more important than experimenting with the Chelsea youngster in midfield.

There is also a considerable difference between playing academy football at Chelsea and representing Celtic, where supporters expect victories every week. Emenalo has barely started his senior career, and he must now prove he can handle that pressure while competing for a place in O’Neill’s team.

His positional flexibility is an attraction, especially when Celtic have injuries across their defence. Being comfortable in several roles could make him a useful option from the bench.

Yet Celtic shouldn’t have to rely on an 18-year-old loanee to cover several defensive positions simply because established players are unavailable.

Emenalo says there isn’t much he cannot do. If he can make Celtic comfortable taking Tierney off without shifting a right-back across the pitch, that would be an excellent start.

Anything he offers in midfield or central defence should be a bonus, not another responsibility Celtic are forced to hand him.