The Celtic Academy has produced it’s fair share of talent over the years, but there is a demand from some supporters to see more homegrown prodigies given a chance at first-team level.
While Celtic made several key Academy appointments earlier this year, including Jonny Hayes, Adam Asghar and moving Darren O’Dea to Professional Player Pathway Manager, Lennoxtown continues to be a hotbed for clubs south of the border to exploit.
Youth products Rocco Vata and Daniel Kelly headed to Watford and Millwall, respectively, during the summer. Meanwhile, players currently rooted in the Celtic Academy continue to attract interest from elsewhere.
Earlier this week, 67 Hail Hail exclusively revealed Arsenal are keeping tabs on Celtic youngster Rocco di Giacomo and have sent scouts to watch him in action.
While the Bhoys continue to fight the battle of retaining stars of the future, the example one graduate has set since leaving for down south shows the power the club hold in being able to nurture exciting talent.
Former Celtic youth Ben Doak has arrived on the scene
Back in 2022, Ben Doak left Celtic for Liverpool at just 16 years of age, opting to continue his development at the Premier League giants over chasing a breakthrough at Parkhead.
Having made two appearances at first-team level, including a fleeting Glasgow Derby cameo against Rangers, there were hopes he could be the next star to establish himself in the Celtic first-team.
Now on loan at Middlesbrough, Doak netted his first senior goal against Stoke City late last month and looks like he could have a long-term future at Anfield under Arne Slot.
Despite frustration over his Celtic exit, his emergence does show the talent buried away in the youth set-up that can be uncovered with proper exposure to senior football.
While his club football is going well, it’s his recent burst onto the scene as an international starter that has caught attention.
Steve Clarke on Ben Doak and future Celtic Academy hopes
Speaking ahead of Scotland’s Nations League bout against Portugal, Steve Clarke touched on Doak’s potential and predicted that the youngster will go on to have a distinguished career at the top level.
He stated [STV News]: “We know Ben is a talent. We want him here for the next 15 years, not the next 15 months. As I always say, don’t put too much pressure on him. He’s just a young man. He will make mistakes in the game, he will do some really good things in the game.
“We’ve got to get the balance right between giving Ben the opportunity to play, because he’s more than capable, but also making sure we protect him a little bit and don’t overhype him. Sometimes maybe in the past there have been players that have been a little bit overhyped that don’t fulfil their potential.
“The most important thing for Ben is that he fulfils his potential and if we can help him do that, that’s what we’ll try and do.”
Likely to be involved in some capacity at home to Portugal, Doak’s upward trajectory should symbolise hope for the future at Celtic. He may not have taken his steps to prominence at the club, but given he started out there, there will be other diamonds buried beneath the surface to unearth.
The main job now is to find a way to retain the stars of the future despite the lure from down south. Rodgers has vowed to bring through Celtic youth talent during his second spell, but it is easier said than done in the modern game.
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