BRENDAN RODGERS is not scared to bring youngsters into his squad; whether it’s to train or to come in on matchday and get the full experience of being part of the first team.
That’s precisely what a 16-year-old Armstrong Oko-Flex got at Rugby Park last Sunday when he was named on the bench for the SPFL game.
Had the result been comfortable there would have been scope for Armstrong to make his debut for the club. However, with the game in the balance, the Celtic manager opted to leave the youngster on the bench, but he was part of the all the full-time celebrations after Scott Brown scored that all important goal.
Dembele has been unable to take advantage of Brendan Rodgers willingness to bring young players into the first team because he had to be 16 to participate. Karamoko turned 16 yesterday and is now in a position to be brought into the squad for the Motherwell game; but will Rodgers do it so soon?
Our hunch is no – Dembele has been away with the England under 16s at a tournament which they won. It’s unlikely that Brendan Rodgers would rush the youngster into his side just for the sake of it off the back of international duty.
There could be more opportunities to see Karamoko in the developmental side in the reserve league now. The attacking midfielder was also not allowed to play in the reserve league with the developmental bhoys until he turned 16.
There’s high probability of Dembele making a first-team matchday squad before the end of the season, but it will be when Brendan believes it’s best to do so.
