Celtic TV’s Gerry McCulloch has confirmed that several youngsters including Karamoko Dembele will be in the training camp in Austria.
The pre-season training camp is always a big event for youngsters looking to break through. The likes of Dembele, Armstrong Oko-Flex, Ewan Henderson, and Jack Aitchison to name a few have been training with the senior side.
Many of the youngsters currently training with the first-team have already made their Celtic debuts. Going away with Neil Lennon’s senior side to Austria, however, could give them a real chance to make an impression ahead of the new season.
McCulloch confirmed the news in a one-to-one interview with Dembele for Celtic TV. He stated that Dembele will in the camp along with a few others. Reacting to the question about how much he’s looking forward to it, Dembele had this to say.
“It’s obviously another opportunity for me to get into the first-team and just to learn from everyone as well. This is my first pre-season away with them, so it’ll be good to see what it’s like and there’s games over there as well. Hopefully I can get a chance in the games and try to prove myself.”
Lennon using camp to blood in the youth?
Brendan Rodgers really started this whole youth integration push that Celtic have taken on. He gave opportunities to the likes of Anthony Ralston, Mikey Johnston, and Ewan Henderson to name a few.
But now, it looks as though Lennon has that same desire. Using the camp to take the likes of Dembele and co is a positive move, especially with so many of the youngsters close to breaking into the side.
What it provides the fans with too is a chance to see them all in action once again when the matches kick-off. Celtic play three games in their camp against Pinkafeld, Wiener Neustadt, and FC St Gallen respectively. Expect plenty of youth to be given their chance in those matches.
It’s still highly likely that we don’t see much of these same players once the real action kicks off. But this will be a great experience for the likes of Dembele in the long run.
It shows Lennon has a real belief that certain players can seriously make a breakthrough in the coming months, and should act as a fine confidence booster.
Now, it’s down to those very same youngsters to seize their opportunity. It’s their time to shine, and for the likes of Dembele, they can’t let it slip
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