Thomas Hatton may have only played a handful of minutes during Celtic’s pre-season schedule, but the young winger has left a lasting impression on both supporters and Martin O’Neill.
The 19-year-old featured as a substitute in all of the Hoops’ summer friendlies, using each cameo to showcase his turn of pace and confidence.
Whether driving to the byline or cutting inside onto his stronger right foot, Hatton has looked fearless whenever given the opportunity.
His performances have seen calls from supporters for the teenager to be involved when Celtic begin their Scottish Premiership title defence against Dundee next Monday.
With the squad still looking light in the wide areas despite the imminent arrival of Kasper Høgh, many fans believe Hatton has earned the chance to feature, even if it is initially from the bench.
Last season, the winger registered five goals and three assists in just 12 Celtic B-team appearances.
Perhaps just as importantly, giving opportunities to players like Hatton demonstrates there is a genuine pathway from the academy into the first team.
Speaking after the final pre-season fixture, O’Neill was full of praise for the youngster.
“Thomas Hatton has been with us the whole pre-season. And same with Sean McArdle. I just congratulated Tam for his spell on the field.
“He’s prepared to take people on. I think that’s like a dying art, which is great. So he’ll get all the encouragement in the world.
“Now he’s a young lad making his way in the game. Obviously, a battle on to try and get him to the side like anything else. But I was really impressed with him. As I have been impressed with his attitude during the whole pre-season.” [TCW]
That’ll will be encouraging for Hatton, even if regular first-team football may still be some way off.
O’Neill has made it clear the winger still has work to do to force his way into a squad packed with senior talent, but the manager’s praise suggests he has firmly put himself on the radar.
There is every reason to hope Hatton’s pre-season performances are only the beginning. With injuries and fixture congestion to see opportunities certainly to arise across a long campaign, the teenager has shown enough to suggest he deserves a chance to make his competitive breakthrough this season.
