Not only was it brilliant that the Celtic B side picked up a 3-1 league win away to rivals Rangers today, but it was also fantastic to see Dane Murray return from serious injury as a second-half substitute.
Murray has been out of action since April 2022 after limping off against Dalbeattie Star in the Lowland League and has had a long road of rehabilitation.
Recently returning to training, Darren O’Dea and Stephen McManus managed to get half an hour into him at Ibrox, signalling that the young defender is ready to get back on the path towards the Celtic first-team.
Dane Murray works hard to return in peak condition
McManus paid tribute to him after the Ibrox win, stating [Celtic FC]: “He’s been absolutely terrific. A lot of the time as a young player, or even as a senior player, you’ll find out what you’re like as a person when you get a serious injury.
“Dane has had a really tough time. He has put so much hard work and dedication into his physique and trying to come back in a better place compared to where he was beforehand. You can see that, his physique, he now looks like a man. That’s not easy to do and it shows the character of him.”
You may remember that Murray, still just 19, has actually already made his senior Celtic debut. He featured as a substitute and then earned a start in the European tie against Midtjylland right at the start of Ange Postecoglou’s reign as manager.
Postecoglou’s previous praise for Murray
That came after Postecoglou was left impressed by the youngster in the initial weeks of summer training at Lennoxtown, heavily praising him in the press at the time.
Ange said in July 2021: “Coming on to the pitch, a young guy who was born in 2003. I can remember 2003 very clearly. You know how young he is and he is not just coming on the pitch, he is facing a formidable opponent and with 10 men. But you know what? My gut instinct told me he wouldn’t be fazed by it.
“I watched him in training and he is a young kid, not just with football potential, but personality and character that belies his age. I was quite happy to trust him out there and it was an important part of the game, we were down to 10 men and we had to work very hard.”
It stands to reason that if Murray’s recovery and return to action goes well, with no setbacks, he’ll be one of the talents that could make a push towards the first-team squad over the next 12 months.
We’re already starting to see the likes of Rocco Vata and Ben Summers earn opportunities and while it’s harder for centre-backs to get minutes, there will still be a lot of hope that Murray can show his qualities to the coaching staff again – just as he did two years ago.
In other news, Ange Postecoglou reacts to Tomoki Iwata’s first Celtic start; signals what’s next.
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