THE arrival of Kolo Toure at Celtic at the weekend was welcomed by everyone associated with the Parkhead club, not least manager Brendan Rodgers, bar perhaps one person.

Eoghan O’Connell, the promising young Irish centre half, had a difficult enough task forcing his way into the first team as things were. He already had Efe Ambrose, Dedryck Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko to vie with for a place.

The signing of Toure, the vastly-experienced former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool player, on a one-year deal on Sunday reduced his chances being given a start even further.

READ MORE: Rodgers reckons glamour Barcelona tie will be ideal preparation ahead of Astana rematchGlasgow Times: Efe Ambrose, left, speaks with Eoghan O'Connell during the Celtic game against Astana on Wednesday night.

Rodgers admitted on Tuesday that the 35-year-old would be registered as a UEFA wildcard and was highly likely to feature in the second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round against Astana at Celtic Park next week.

Yet, O’Connell, who made an encouraging European debut in the 1-1 draw with Astana in Kazakhstan on Wednesday evening, remains undeterred by developments.

READ MORE: Rodgers reckons glamour Barcelona tie will be ideal preparation ahead of Astana rematch

He has no plans to go out on loan again – he had spells at Oldham Athletic and Cork City last season – in the 2016/17 campaign despite the acquisition of Toure and is still determined to feature regularly in the coming months.

“It (the Astana game) is something I have to build on,” he said. “There is no point in me staying here, playing a game and then taking a step down. I will be looking to push on from this. Of course I will.

“The manager said to me before the game to take this game and then build on it. That is what I will be looking to do.”

O’Connell added: “It is obviously the manager’s decision (who plays against Astana in Glasgow). He picks the team and Kolo Toure is obviously a very experienced player. He has played at the highest level for the last 15 years and shown his qualities.Glasgow Times: Eoghan O'Connell scores for Celtic in the penalty shoot-out against Leicester City at Parkhead on Saturday.

“I will work hard in training. We have another game against Barcelona on Saturday. I will do the best I can in that and then just take it from there.

“I would rather take my chances at Celtic than go out on loan. It’s a huge club. I have been here since I was 16. My main aim since I came here is to play here and make it here and that’s hopefully what I’m going to do.”

O’Connell played his first game in Europe in the most demanding circumstances imaginable; he was drafted into a makeshift defence alongside the error-prone Ambrose in a high-pressure encounter on an artificial pitch over 3,000 miles away in Central Asia.

READ MORE: Rodgers reckons glamour Barcelona tie will be ideal preparation ahead of Astana rematchGlasgow Times: Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers congratulates goalscorer Eoghan O'Connell at Parkhead today.

It was probably no surprise that he made mistakes. He was partially to blame for the goal that Astana scored from a set piece in the first half. He allowed Yuri Logvinenko to lose him in the penalty box and head in a Patrick Twumasi corner.

Still, all things considered, the Republic of Ireland Under-21 internationalist fared well. Rodgers was far from enamoured with much of his side’s play despite a result that gives them an excellent chance of going through to the play-off. But he singled out O’Connell for special praise afterwards.

“I had a fair idea from the build-up in training during the week that I was going to play,” said O’Connell. “But it was obviously just when the manager called out the team before the game. I was mentally prepared to go and when he named the team I was ready.

“I knew there were a few injuries and stuff. But it is a very big game for the club and I knew it would take a lot of trust for them to give me my debut in such a game. I’ve never played in Europe before.

“I took confidence from my performance against Leicester City on Saturday. After that I knew I had a good chance. I was ready to go. My phone has been going off all the time. I’ve not really looked at it much. I just spoke to my family. I had a look at the messages I received when I got back.

“It was obviously a step up. The pitch was very quick and there was a bit of rain. It was slidey. You had to concentrate on your first touch all the time and be very secure. I made a few errors on the ball, but that happens. It was definitely a step up in quality, but that’s expected.

“All the lads are very good to play with. They did egg me on during the game. But at the end of the day they are trying to do a job themselves. We are a team. Everybody looks after each other.”

O’Connell felt Celtic, who bagged a precious away goal in the 78th minute when Leigh Griffiths netted, performed far better in the second half against Astana. He believes they should go into the rematch with confidence due to how they finished the match.

“I think we had started all right,” he said. “Losing a goal from a set piece was a bit of a killer. But I think we settled down well. In the second half I thought we were a lot better. We created a few chances on the counter, looked a lot more solid and played a lot more with the ball.

“The game in Glasgow next week won’t be easy. We got a good result in Kazakhstan, but they showed what a quality side they are and we will have to play well. But there is no reason why we can’t do well and progress further in the competition.”