Ange Postecoglou says that Ben Gannon-Doak had ‘no fear’ when breaking through at Celtic.
It was the Aussie who was in charge at Celtic Park when the youngster made his brief impression on the Hoops’ first team at the age of 16.
Despite being handed minutes by Postecoglou, Gannon-Doak opted to leave the club to join Liverpool that summer, in a story all too familiar to Celtic fans in recent years.
Now aged 20, Gannon-Doak is a key player in Scotland’s attack at the ongoing World Cup, and his ex-boss has been singing his praises on punditry duty.
Academy players are leaving Celtic at an unprecedented rate…
Ange Postecoglou on Ben Gannon-Doak: ‘He has no fear in him’
Postecoglou said on ITV Sport: “Ben Gannon-Doak… I gave him his debut at 16. He’s an exciting young player.
“He has no fear in him.
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“I played him against Rangers when he was a 16-year-old, and you could see from then, you know… ‘This kid’s got no fear’.
“So there’s a platform, and as Roy said: sometimes when there’s a game that you’re expected to win, especially for a country like Scotland, you go out there and you’re a little bit tight.
“They’ve got nothing to lose [against Morocco and Brazil].”
Gannon-Doak first featured in a matchday squad just weeks after his 16th birthday, and made his debut in a dramatic 2-1 win over Dundee United.
A few weeks later came the aforementioned Glasgow Derby appearance in one of the most talked-about derbies in recent years, a 3-0 home win for Postecoglou’s men.
Upon moving to Merseyside, he established himself in their reserve side before moving on loan to Middlesbrough, where he impressed.
This earned him a £25 million move to Bournemouth last summer, and despite having his involvement severely limited by injury, he started in Scotland’s tournament opener against Haiti.
Celtic players to move to England in recent years
Though he may be injured at the moment, Rocco Vata’s move to Watford has worked out fairly well with, the winger reportedly attracting interest from the Premier League.
Fellow Celtic youngster Daniel Kelly, who moved to Millwall in the same summer, has struggled to make a similar impact, however.
Daniel Cummings joined West Ham at the beginning of this season, having excelled at youth level for Celtic. He has scored five goals in the Hammers’ youth sides this season.
Aidan Borland has been given first team football by Unai Emery at Aston Villa after moving there in 2023. He spent the back end of last season on loan at Swindon Town.
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