Celtic were wonderful Washington as they put DC United to the sword in a dominant 4-0 win overnight.
Matt O’Riley, Mikey Johnston, and James Forrest grabbed the goals as the Hoops ran riot in the American capital.
Pre-season lets managers give opportunities to younger players who wouldn’t get first-team chances in normal circumstances. Last night, Brendan Rodgers did just that as he started both Colby Donovan and Matthew Anderson at right and left-back respectively.
17-year-old Donovan was a steady performer. He remained solid defensively and didn’t put a foot wrong in the hour he played.
One for the future, Rodgers was pleased with the teenager.
“Colby is 17, he’s really aggressive and strong”, he said (Glasgow Times).
“I think once he develops physically and understands the game even more then he’ll be a good player.
“He works very hard, he has personality, which you need if you want to play for Celtic. It was nice to see him tonight with the first team and performing at a high level.”
Three years Donovan’s senior, Anderson started ahead of Greg Taylor and Yuki Kobayashi at left-back.
He spent last term on loan at Admira Wacker where he stood out, grabbing six assists in 22 games.
The 20-year-old played the first half, covering the left-hand side with ease. He linked up with Luis Palma effectively and could have easily scored.
“Matthew is obviously a bit older, he’s had the opportunity to go out and work on loan and now he’s shown that he’s progressed”, said Rodgers (Glasgow Times).
“He was a real attacking threat and was really unfortunate to not score tonight. I was pleased with both of them [Anderson and Donovan] tonight.”
