Ben Summers shares who looks after him at Celtic training and his current first-team idol

By John McGinley

March 31, 2023

Celtic youngster Ben Summers is a player on the brink of a first-team breakthrough at the Bhoys and is relishing life taking part in senior training at Lennoxtown.

The midfield prospect was named on the bench against Hibernian prior to the international break and immediately went off to represent the Scotland U21s side for the first time, earning minutes against Sweden and Wales.

Now working full-time with the first team, while still appearing for Celtic B, it’s clear Ange Postecoglou rates him as a player who could make the step up over time.

Ben Summers reveals Greg Taylor’s mentor role at Celtic

It’s a joy for Summers to work with Postecoglou and he’s now shared that Greg Taylor is also playing a mentor role for him at the training centre. Meanwhile, Reo Hatate is the current player he looks up to most.

He said [Daily Record 31/03 print edition, page 54]: “All the first-team staff have been fantastic. I’ve been training with them full-time recently, so as soon as I’ve gone up I’ve tried to take things on board they’ve been telling me. It’s been working as I’ve got the recognition with the call-up to Scotland as well.

“Everything is going well at club level. The manager is brilliant. The main thing is the intensity and that shows on the pitch. We train intensely every day and they reap the rewards on a matchday.

“Greg Taylor has been good to me. He’s been looking after me. It is hard when you make a step up, especially with how good the Celtic team are. It was a wee bit nerve-racking at the start but he helped me settle in.

“The player I look up to is Reo Hatate. He’s different class in training and in games he’s brilliant. Everything he does, I try to learn off. But it’s not just him, it’s all the midfielders. Someone like Callum McGregor, his standards are unbelievable every day. I try to take wee bits from every midfielder. I’ve been working towards this since I was seven.”

It’s fantastic to see more evidence of the leadership group at Celtic playing a vital role not just on the pitch, but also off of it. Taylor is one of the core players who helps set the standard at the Bhoys every day – credit to him for going the extra mile with Summers to help him settle in.

As for players to aspire to as a midfielder, Summers certainly can’t go wrong with either Hatate or McGregor. Both have been so impressive this season and he’s learning a lot from these two, it can only help the 18-year-old realise his potential.

In other news, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou’s brilliant reaction to Callum McGregor’s iron man moment.