Tommy McIntyre has labelled Christopher Jullien a “great role model” after dropping down for today’s Glasgow Cup clash between Celtic and Rangers B.
The young Hoops lost out on penalties despite being ahead on 2 separate occasions in the match. Goals from Mikey Johnston and Ben Summers were cancelled out before a gutting 5-4 penalty shootout lost that saw us exit the cup.
For Jullien, it was a positive for him personally. He managed to get 90 minutes under his belt after not being seen in the first-team since February.
And McIntyre has moved to credit his own influence on the game and the B team as a whole. Speaking via Celtic’s official website, McIntyre said: “I thought the first team lads coming in done well, so I’m pleased with that to get them 90 minutes, but for us, it’s disappointing not making the final.
“Jullien is a great role model, young Josh Dede is only 16 and playing alongside him, as is Ewan Otoo. So it’s great for us that he can come in and it was a big bonus. Again, the attitude was first class from Jullien and I thought Johnston was the same.”
Jullien was an unused substitute in Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Rangers on Sunday.
Christopher Jullien gets minutes under his belt, but where does he truly stand?
Jullien certainly put in a solid enough showing this afternoon. However, that would be the least expected of him in an occasion at this level.
He provided some genuine leadership and the fact he managed to take part in the full 90 minutes should be considered a big boost for him. Especially given his lack of minutes at first-team level.
Granted, there was nothing here that would make you think he’s about to instantly be thrown back into the first-team. But it puts him in a decent position ahead of pre-season. It proves he can cope for 90 minutes in a competitive match without any real cause for concern.
The big question mark now of course is whether Ange actually fancies him. He’s yet to really commit to any real game-time for Jullien, and hasn’t featured him in league business since his return to selection at the start of the year.
It could easily be the case that Chris simply isn’t a part of the manager’s plans. We’ll know for certain this summer when those who need a pre-season opportunity get one. Jullien will certainly be fit enough to be involved, but whether he’s given the game-time necessary to make an impact remains debatable.
For now, however, he’ll look at today as a positive despite the result. It’s good to see he still has it in him to operate for 90 minutes.
In other news, Rivals’ excitement over one potential trophy highlights Ange’s incredible Celtic work
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