The volume of talented young players departing Celtic over the past few years has raised concerns among several supporters, but the finances, glamour, and overall prospect of moving to some of the biggest leagues in the world is too difficult to turn down for some teenagers.
Patience is a virtue, and a key attribute required if one wants to break into the first team of the Scottish champions.
Few youngsters, though, possess the fortitude needed to make a mark at Celtic and rather, chase moves at tender ages.
Take Liam Morrison and Barry Hepburn, for example. The former was involved in the Hoops’ senior set-up at 16 but within a month, moved to European giants Bayern Munich. Hepburn followed a year later but so far, similar to his peer, hasn’t endured much success in Germany.
21 and 20, both have failed to make their mark abroad. Morrison and Hepburn haven’t made a single appearance for Bayern’s first-team between them and in the season gone by, had underwhelming loan spells and Wigan and DSV Leoben respectively.
The grass was in no way greener for the duo overseas and perhaps if they waited it out in Glasgow, they might have had some prosperity and first-team success.
Karamoko Dembele falls into a similar category to the Munich pair. He missed seven months of Ange Postecoglou’s first Celtic season through an ankle injury and might have gotten an opportunity in the Aussie’s second had he not jumped ship to Brest in the summer of 2022. He is now without a club.
The likes of Rocco Vata and Daniel Kelly – whose futures currently remain up in the air – should look at the predicaments of players like Morrison, Hepburn, and Dembele as they make key career decisions this summer.
Both undoubtedly have talent but need to work for their opportunities and not think they will get them for nothing.
Callum McGregor was 21 by the time he broke into the first-team. The current Hoops captain showed great determination to go out on loan to Notts County and earn his place in the side by merit.
Youngsters throughout the ranks of the champions should look at the skipper and follow his story of hard work and patience if they want to make it into the senior team.
Being a Celt and playing for Scotland’s most successful club is earned, not a privilege.
Apparently with vata in talks with other clubs now, then the chances of him staying with ourselves, must be fairly slim imo?
Time will tell if vata has made the right choice, yet would question upon who is advising him currently?
Forrest really did surprise myself with his end of season form last season, as was expecting it to be the last in our famous hoops?
So that potentially left a position for Mikey Johnston or vata to take advantage of, especially with the 8 homegrown rule in play for ourselves?
As well as Forrest finished last season, his Celtic career hasn’t got to long to run either?
Was looking like Vata was being lined up as a potential Forrest replacement within our squad in time, and with a manager in Rodgers who is prepared to give younger players an opportunity, yet vata doesn’t seem to want that opportunity now, and even Kelly is stalling somewhat also?
Don’t actually understand as to why that seems to be the case?
First thought is obviously a bigger wage packet, which would be very annoying when you consider the amount being paid out upon player’s currently in wages, who don’t figure whatsoever within the plans of Rodgers?
Think Rodgers is trying to develop a pathway for academy players, to becoming 1st team squad players.
Also with the increased number of matches next season, then more opportunities may well become available to both of them also imo?
It doesn’t matter if both decide to move on, with the expectations of getting more game time for themselves, but the same rules apply as when these opportunities become available upon playing, they have to be taken by them?
Academy players are proper projects as it’s very hard to say which direction there careers could be heading?
Yet we still are capable of producing squad players for ourselves, but still some way to go before creating automatic starters for ourselves still?
Yet we are very much within a squad game today, where opportunities are far more frequent with the amount of matches and injuries for Rodgers to contend with also?
Would be disappointed to see vata and Kelly leave if that’s the case, and still fail to understand as to why such a decision has arisen, especially when I would have thought it was fairly straightforward to stay put with ourselves?