Celtic are reportedly exploring a move for Egyptian international Omar Hassan, whose profile has soared following an eye-catching World Cup campaign, despite limited playing time on football's biggest stage.
The 24-year-old winger featured for just 126 minutes in Qatar, missing all of Egypt's group stage fixtures due to a delay in registering the player, a situation head coach Hossam Hassan later confirmed was administrative rather than tactical. Hassan finally made his tournament debut as a substitute in Egypt's dramatic last-32 penalty shootout victory over Australia, before earning a starting berth against Argentina in the last 16.
That performance against Lionel Messi's side proved pivotal in raising his stock. Deployed on the right flank despite being left-footed, Hassan set up Mostafa Zico's goal by beating Enzo Fernandez with a piece of dribbling before whipping in a precise cross that helped Egypt establish a 2-0 lead. Although Argentina ultimately won 3-2 in a tense encounter, Hassan's contribution went beyond the assist. In one notable moment, he drove forward from a right-back position, evading two challengers over a 60-yard surge before threading a pass to Mohamed Salah, who then combined with Zico. The goal was controversially ruled out, but the passage of play underlined Hassan's directness and dribbling ability.
Statistically, Hassan's two World Cup outings saw him attempt nine dribbles, a rate of 6.4 per 90 minutes, numbers that have not gone unnoticed by clubs monitoring the winger, including Celtic.
Born in France, Hassan represented the country at Under-17 and Under-18 level before switching his international allegiance to Egypt, his father's homeland, making his senior debut for the Pharaohs earlier this year.
His club career began in France with Chateauroux, where he progressed from the reserve side into senior football in the lower divisions. In 2020, he moved to Spain to join Villarreal, initially featuring for the B team before a loan spell at Mirandes. He returned to Villarreal for a taste of La Liga football before being loaned again, this time to Sporting Gijon, remaining in the Spanish second tier. A permanent move to Real Oviedo followed in 2024, where Hassan played a key role in the club's promotion push, scoring four goals and providing three assists in his debut campaign.
Last season proved considerably tougher for Hassan as Oviedo struggled in La Liga. He managed three assists but no goals across 37 appearances, 20 of them starts, as his side finished bottom of the table and suffered relegation. His expected goals tally of just 0.15 for the campaign reflects the lack of clear-cut chances in a team that was comfortably the lowest scorer in the division.
At Celtic, Hassan could slot into the right-wing role currently occupied by new signing Camilo Duran, a left-footed player who has been used on the right in the club's opening two matches. Should Hassan arrive, Duran might shift to the left in place of Yang Hyun-jun, while Kasper Hogh remains the focal point as a central striker.
Manager O'Neill has suggested Celtic could operate with two strikers, potentially pairing Hogh with Duran up front, with Hassan supplying width and service from the right and Yang doing likewise on the left. Such a setup would echo Celtic's attacking approach during the Gordon Strachan era, when inverted wingers like Shunsuke Nakamura and Aiden McGeady or Shaun Maloney supported central forwards such as Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink alongside Georgios Samaras or Scott McDonald.
Celtic's fluid attacking play was on full display in their 5-1 win over Kilmarnock, with hat-trick scorer Hogh dropping deep to link play, while wide players and midfielders pushed forward to create three separate assists for his goals. The addition of Hassan would provide another dynamic attacking option within that system.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.