When Brendan Rodgers returns to Glasgow for a Q&A session next June, it would feel like a waste of time for him to be grilled on the exact reasons behind his team selection for matches which, by then, will have taken place almost two years ago.

Frankly, those assembled in the Royal Concert Hall that evening will have their mind on other matters.

Nonetheless, there remains a curiosity about why the Northern Irishman overlooked Callum Osmand at a time when Celtic were evidently crying out for a spark up front.

Rodgers, you may well remember, had spoken with great excitement about the club signing the player from Fulham a few weeks previously.

Sure, Osmand was only 19 at the time. He hadn't played a single minute of first-team football, either.

But as a combination of Daizen Maeda and the soon-to-depart Adam Idah failed to find the net across 210 minutes against Kairat Almaty, you couldn't help but wonder if the much-vaunted teenager stationed on the bench in both legs might have been worth a shot.

Despite Rodgers giving Osmand the big build up that summer, the forward didn't play a single minute prior to his abrupt departure at the end of October.

While that was clearly his prerogative, the impact Osmand has made across an injury-stricken year does suggest that it was an oversight.

Handed his debut as a substitute by Martin O'Neill against Falkirk soon after, Osmand scored a brilliant flashing header in the League Cup semi-final against Rangers before sustaining a serious hamstring tear against Midtjylland.

Only back in contention on the final day of the season after surgery, he set up Maeda and scored himself as Celtic clinched the title in dramatic fashion against Hearts.

Having been sidelined again with an ankle injury at the outset of this campaign, he's rebounded in some style. His goal and assist for Camilo Duran against Besiktas on Thursday came a couple of weeks after scoring twice in a 7-1 rout against the Tynecastle men in what was his first senior start.

After just 13 matches for Celtic, it may be a little too early to describe Osmand as a Ferrari. But a Honda Civic, he is most certainly not.

The beauty of the situation, from the club's perspective, is that the player hasn't even revved the engine as he sets out on his career path.

Osmand, who turns 21 as Kilmarnock visit today, looks first-team ready any time he's taken the field. Yet he's the first to admit that the game-time those injuries denied him stunted his development.

Provided there's a fair wind at his back, though, he's certain there's a lot more to come.

'I would say I'm nowhere near where I want to be personally,' he said.

'There's stuff I need to tidy up on, like decision-making and all this stuff.

'But I feel like the more games I play, the more I understand and the more I learn.

'So, on a personal note, that's what I'd want to do - just keep learning and keep understanding my role within the team and obviously the players you're playing with.

'I've still only played a handful of games, so it's tough learning. But I feel like when you get thrown in the deep end, it's the best way to learn. You learn more off the worst games than the good games.

'It's just as long as I can get better every game, that's all I really want to focus on.'

There's no doubt, though, that there are many moments when he looks the real deal.

For instance, his brilliant finish after Callum McGregor's square ball on Thursday, his first touch after coming off the bench.

'It was crazy,' he smiled. 'It's a surreal feeling when it's my first touch as well.

'I was a bit nervous that I'd shanked it, but no, I'm happy that I caught it nicely.'

One of his next involvements wasn't too bad, either. Motoring into space off the left flank, Osmand had to find the perfect weight and direction on the pass which would allow Camilo Duran to exploit a pocket of space and round the keeper. He could not have played it better.

'I thought he was offside, to be honest,' he recalled of the moment in which Celtic moved 2-1 in front.

'I was looking at the bench saying 'Close?' and they were like, "Yeah, it's tight".

'But I know where he's going. He's such a sharp striker, so I know if I put that in the space, the keeper is not getting anywhere near it. He's a top, top player, so I can't fault him at all.'

With all due respect to Colby Donovan – also assured after coming off the bench – Thursday night will long be remembered for the belated contributions of Osmand and Duran, who scored three goals between them.

The Colombian began on the right flank, but moved infield once Kasper Hogh tired. The understanding Duran had with Osmand was clear throughout and ultimately proved the undoing of the Turks.

'He's unbelievable, a really top player,' Osmand said. 'You can just see even by the way he walks and the way he moves.

'I learn off him every day. He's an amazing guy. His English is really not great, but somehow we manage to talk to each other a lot.

'I think I find him quite a good friend of mine now.

'And although we might not speak many words, you can tell just by looking ... I don't know how to describe it. Like we talk to each other a lot. Maybe it's little words, but I feel like we get on really well. He's a great guy.'

Duran's finish at the second attempt to seal the victory later on felt hugely significant for all associated with Celtic.

It was precisely the kind of big win at the right moment which O'Neill and his embattled squad needed to blow away the storm clouds. On such moments, entire seasons can hinge and reputations are forged.

'For us, it felt like a must win, like that was our sort of mindset going into that,' Osmand said.

'I think the boys did amazing, so hopefully we just get some confidence and build on from this and that gives us confidence to play more free and take more risks.

'Sometimes when you're not as confident, it's tough to play the football you want to play.'