With two trebles in successive seasons, Celtic are surely in the position to give youth a chance.
Success is the norm at Celtic in the modern era. Seven successive titles, two successive trebles, things are going swimmingly to say the least at Celtic Park.
With players like Scott Brown, Scott Sinclair and Tom Rogic, it is not hard to see why Celtic are so far ahead of their competition.
Brendan Rodgers has overseen a period of great success domestically, but cracking Europe will be on his mind. The Northern Irish manager has never quite been able to get the best out of his side in European competitions, as Celtic crashed out of both the Champions League and Europa League last season.
Celtic are a club which isn’t afraid to spend, but Rodgers could endear himself even further to Ian Bankier by unearthing him some top talent from Celtic’s academy. Cherry picking the best talents out of the Scottish Premiership and some talent from abroad has served the Bhoys extremely well, but the time has come to start producing their own talent two.
With that in mind, here are two youngsters who need to get a chance next season…
Michael Johnstone is regarded so highly by Brendan Rodgers, he recently ruled out the prospect of the winger leaving on loan any time soon. The 19-year-old has cut his teeth during the club’s pre-season games, thrilling the Parkhead crowd with his performance against Standard Liege.
It’s not often we see a Brtish player with a wonderful left foot, someone to add balance to attacks, as well as take opposition defences into all sorts of uncomfortable places, so Johnstone could certainly take the mantle from Scott Sinclair in the future.
A hugely exciting product and the idea of both he and Kieran Tierney forming a bond on the left for a few years is wonderful.
Anthony Ralston, to be fair, has played against Neymar in the Champions League, so it’s not as if he’s a hidden gem. Still, the defender did head out on loan not long after, following a knee injury, and ended up at Dundee United in the Scottish second tier.
So, there’s clearly work to be done. A right-back, he may not be as outwardly exciting as Kieran Tierney on the other side, though Ralston looks like a cult-hero in waiting. Strong, tenacious and unlikely to be beaten in a one on one, Ralston has all the tools to have Paradise purring over his performances.
