Striker Anthony Stokes expected to leave Celtic in January loan deal

Celtic assistant manager John Collins has revealed striker Anthony Stokes is likely to leave the club on loan in January.

Stokes has played just two matches this season and has been linked with a move to Inverness Caledonian Thistle whose manager John Hughes worked with him at Hibernian and Falkirk.

Collins insists the Irishman has a future at the Scottish champions but says he will have to make the most of his loan deal to get back in favour at Celtic Park.

Asked if the move signalled the end of the 27-year-old at Celtic, Collins said: "It signals it for the rest of this season if he goes on loan.

"But you never know in football. The door is always open. The manager and Anthony have decided it would be good for him to get some game time.

"There has been a relationship with those two (Hughes and Stokes) before, they have worked well with each other in the past so it might be a good place for Anthony to go.

"There are other teams interested as well but we won't force him to go where he doesn't want to go, it will be his choice. He has to go away, score goals and play well, that is what football is all about.

"His attitude lately in training has been very good so hopefully he has turned the corner. But he needs games."

Collins dismissed newspaper speculation linking Everton winger Aiden McGeady with a return to the club where he started his career.

The Republic of Ireland international is out of favour at Goodison Park but Collins says the financial gap between the Premier League and Scotland's equivalent makes it almost impossible to deal in that market.

"I don't think it was realistic," he said. "Aiden is a Premier League player on Premier League wages.

"We have always got to be realistic. We have budgets and there is a big gap between the Premier League and the Championship and our league. I would rule that out, yes."

But Collins did confirm 23-year-old Romanian right-back Andrei Peteleu and 17-year-old Norwegian midfielder Kristoffer Ajer are on trial at Lennoxtown as boss Ronny Deila attempts to add to his squad before the end of the month.

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"We have two trialists in, we are assessing them and they will be here for the week and they are both doing fine," Collins said ahead of Sunday's Scottish Cup tie at Stranraer.

"The manager knows (Ajer) very well, he knows all about Norwegian players. It is early days yet."