Former Celtic youngster Barry Hepburn has been speaking about his last few years with Bayern Munich.
The Scottish winger is back in his homeland after a three-year spell in Bavaria with the Bundesliga giants. Hepburn has been sent out on loan to ambitious Championship outfit Queen’s Park where current Hoops youngster Ben McPherson is also stationed.
19-year-old Hepburn is yet to make an appearance for the full Bayern side, and that seems like a long shot at this stage. Yet, he reckons that was always going to be the case and he is keen to take the undoubted positives from the move to Germany.
“I was blown away when they came in for me,” he told the Scottish Sun of the 2020 move. “Celtic were great to me, but I couldn’t turn down Bayern Munich.
“I saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Bayern’s an incredible club. I knew the long odds on me playing for their first team. But I also felt that I was still guaranteed to improve as a player.
“There was also the great chance to experience a whole new life, to learn a new language, to enjoy life in a different country. Now I’m fluent in German and that makes a massive difference.
“At Celtic, I felt like a big fish in a small pond. Going to Bayern was humbling. I played an 11-a-side bounce game against the first team and I think I got about three touches.
“But it was still an amazing experience against the likes of Alphonso Davies, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Choupo-Moting and Dayot Upamecano.”
Hepburn has clearly been living a bit of a dream over the past few years. There aren’t many clubs in Europe who can genuinely consider themselves to have an even greater worldwide appeal than Celtic, but Bayern are probably one.
I was drawn to his comments about knowing the “long odds” associated with him ever playing for the first team in Munich. While footballers will always back themselves to upset the odds, it does seem like Hepburn was looking at the bigger picture.
Who knows where he would be placed right now if he had stayed at Celtic. With the likes of McPherson and Ben Summers out on loan in the Scottish Championship, there’s a fair chance he may have found himself in an identical position.
As it is, he is a teenager with his career ahead of him. Yet, he has now sampled another country, language and broadened his horizons, all while playing for a major club.
Hepburn’s comments are a reminder of the struggle Celtic face with their young stars. When those truly global powers come in for the likes of Hepburn, Liam Morrison and Ben Doak, there’s little we can do about it. I mean, we all absolutely adore Celtic. But if it was your own career and a chance to sign for Bayern Munich came along, you’d probably take it.
Let’s hope Hepburn can earn some consistent first-team football now. Maybe one day he’ll work his way back to Celtic Park.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers and Reo Hatate react after big Celtic contract extension
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