CELTIC hope to discover today if their attempt to sign the Heerenveen striker, Alfred Finnbogason, has been successful.

The 24 year-old Icelander scored for his Dutch club as they defeated NAC Breda 2-0 on Saturday night, with Celtic's chief scout, John Park, in attendance.

Finnbogason is scheduled to be in Reykjavik for Wednesday's friendly international against the Faroe Islands. If Heerenveen indicate they are prepared to sell him to Celtic, the Parkhead club would attempt to finalise the deal ahead of tonight's 11pm deadline for registering their squad to play in next Tuesday's Champions League play-off first leg against Shakhter Karagandy.

There exists an opportunity to add one more player to the list up to 24 hours before the tie. So, even if the transfer of Finnbogason can't be concluded today, Celtic will not abandon their pursuit; though they have identified other options including Wolves' Kevin Doyle.

Manager Neil Lennon was reminded at the weekend he already has an option in the current squad in Amido Balde, his goal to win the Dublin Decider against Liverpool the first real indication the Portuguese striker is finding his feet following his £1.4m move from Vitoria Guimaraes.

The 22-year-old was named the man of the match, but it was the praise from the man who bought him which Balde will most appreciate.

After his initial faltering steps, when the 6ft 4in front man appeared overwhelmed by the responsibility of being the focal point of the attack, the former Sporting Lisbon player looked every inch the part against a strong Liverpool side. Balde's only previous goal for the club came in a low-key friendly against Brentford.

His all-round contribution to Saturday's victory, which was screened by satellite broadcasters and watched by a near-capacity crowd at the Aviva Stadium, was matched only by the performance of the clutch of kids Lennon elected to field while the bulk of his first team players rested following their exertions in Sweden last midweek.

However, while Jackson Irvine, Darnell Fisher and co. deserved every bit of the praise they received, Balde - and to a lesser extent Steven Mouyokolo - were the players who used the stage to promote themselves into Lennon's consciousness.

Beram Kayal, one of the few established first-team players involved in Dublin, explained that the manager has been working overtime to help Balde find his form, and that, if the progress continues, his new team-mate has the backing of the Israeli midfielder to fill the goals void created by the departure of Gary Hooper.

"We need to give Amido more time to see if he can be the new Gary," said Kayal when asked if Balde is up to the challenge. "Gary has more experience, so it is a hard target for Amido. But, I hope he can be the new Gary. Everyone at the club, the players and the staff, will all try to help him.

"He also knows the situation and is trying to be professional about it. I have seen him with the gaffer after training doing some extra finishing practice. So he is trying his best to become a better player."

The heavy turnover of players since Lennon took charge three years ago means there are few in the squad who have any real length of service at Celtic. As a result, most have recent experience of trying to adapt and adjust when they first arrive at the club, and empathy for Balde's predicament is easily obtained.

"Not everyone knows how difficult it is to be a new player in a team, coming in from another country," said Kayal, who moved to Glasgow from Maccabi Haifa in 2010. "It's especially hard for Amido because he does not speak the language. I speak very good English now, so it is okay for me. I try to help him. A lot of players tried to help me, so I'm trying to help others in any way I can because I think that makes it easier for everyone to do their job."

Kayal's best advice to Balde is not to put any extra pressure on himself, even though a burst of scoring form would be much appreciated by all. "Mentally, it is hard," he said. "So, for sure, he needs time, and his goal against Liverpool is going to give him a lot of confidence for the next few games. If you play in a big game, you win, you score, and you have a good performance, it gives you that confidence. I hope that's the case for him."

Balde's link up play with Anthony Stokes, captain for the day in his home town, showed the message is getting through about teamwork being one of Celtic's main assets. They may not have had the biggest stars in their ranks against Liverpool; they were outshone in that department, and, for long periods, outplayed. What they were not was outgunned, nor unnerved, with the young players confirming Lennon has every right to have faith in them.

"We have strength in depth," said Kayal. "At a big club, you always need young players to come in to give us that bit extra and that hunger. Give them more time and we'll see the new James Forrest."