Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has praised teenager Ben Summers after his inclusion in the squad against Hibernian on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Another win

The Hoops took another step towards retaining their Scottish Premiership title with a 3-1 win over Hibs at Celtic Park. Thody Youan received two yellow cards during the first half, however, the visitors still managed to go in 1-0 up at the interval following a Josh Campbell penalty.

Postecoglou’s side managed to turn things around in the second half, though, with goals from Jota, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Sead Haksabanovic sealing the win to restore their nine-point lead at the top of the tale over rivals Rangers after their lunchtime win at Motherwell.

Summers, 18, was a surprise inclusion in the matchday squad for the first time, with Postecoglou seemingly excited at the youngster coming through at Lennoxtown.

The Latest: Postecoglou’s comments

Postecoglou was asked about Summers’ inclusion in the matchday squad prior to the game by BBC Radio Scotland. As relayed by 67 Hail Hail, the Hoops boss admitted that the midfielder has been training with the first team for a while and ‘looks the part’, describing him as ‘really strong’ in the B team.

“We’ve obviously got a couple of injuries in the midfield area with Aaron and Tomoki out. Ben has been training with us for a little while, he’s been really strong in the B team this year and performing well.

“He looks the part in our training and we needed another midfielder on the bench today, so he gets his chance. At a big club, it’s hard, but the reality is you do get an opportunity like he does today, it doesn’t take much – a couple of injuries.

“The key thing for young players is to perform well when they get the opportunity, train well and gain the trust of teammates and coaches. Ben gets his today.”

The Verdict: New deal?

The Hoops may well have a future first-team midfielder on their hands in Summers, who appears to be catching Postecoglou’s eye on the training ground.

He is primarily an attacking midfielder, as per Transfermarkt, although he has contributed to eight goals in 24 appearances for Celtic’s B team in a variety of midfield and attacking positions.

Summers’ current contract expires at the end of the season, though, so the club may be looking to tie him down for the long run, especially following his first involvement in a first-team matchday squad.