Ange Postecoglou has reacted positively to the debut of Ben Doak after the 16-year-old made came off the bench for Celtic against Dundee United this afternoon.
Doak entered the match in the second half as Celtic chased a goal against the Tannadice outfit.
He showed off his lightning pace and direct nature, troubling the United defence.
Postecoglou liked what he saw, telling The Scotsman: “Ben’s been training with us for a while. It was Stephen McManus, actually, who brought him into the group.
“He’s a fantastic kid who comes from a good family. He looked really composed for his age.
“He’ll have grown up a bit today, it will give him a different perspective on life. He probably would have been on the other side of the terracing if he hadn’t been playing!”
Obviously, there is a long way to go with Doak. He is the second youngest debutant in the history of Celtic, so no one will be expecting too much from him too soon.
However, it was pleasing to see Postecoglou delve back into the Celtic B group for another debut this season. He hasn’t been afraid to expose youngsters to high-pressure senior football.
With rumours of Doak being tracked by English Premier League teams, no doubt Celtic will want to tie the young attacker down for the long-term and warn off any suitors.
Today’s debut may well have helped towards that end.
In other news, “He has given everything”; Ange Postecoglou defends Nir Bitton after Celtic sending off.
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