Celtic youngster Ryan Mullen is the latest youth star to announce his desire for a first-team role between now and the end of the season.
The first-team squad should be used to Mullen by now. According to the player himself in the Celtic View (Volume 54, Issue 32, pages 32 and 33), he has been helping the first-team out in warm-up sessions.
Added to that, the young goalkeeper also joined the first-team squad for their trip to Valencia. The youngster took part in training, but of course wasn’t in the match-day squad.
His day-to-day role involves working with Tommy McIntyre at reserve level. But he wants to make an appearance in a first-team squad between now and the end of the season.
Speaking in the Celtic View, the youngster opened up on his hopes for the future.
“I want to keep focused and keep working hard between now and the end of the season. I’d like to go to the Euros with Scotland with I can.
“If possible, however, I’d love to make the bench for the Celtic first-team at some point (before the end of the season).
“It was a fans’ dream (travelling with first-team), especially to a European tie. Even though I wasn’t playing, it felt like I was part of something. If I’m needed to do the warm-up with the first-team and there’s a reserve game that day, I might go there and Dorus will instead step in to do the warm-up.”
More experience than you may think
Mullen has had more experience at youth level than you may think. He’s played for the reserve side seven times this season, and kept clean sheets in four of those outings. His duties have been swapped with the likes of Conor Hazard, Dorus de Vries, and Reece Willison respectively.
But Mullen had previously been featuring for the under-2os in the UEFA Youth League when Celtic had been part of it in recent seasons. He has featured against the likes of PSG, Bayern Munich, and Anderlecht’s youth sides in the past.
His four clean sheets this term, however, have helped spring Celtic’s reserves to the top of the Reserve League.
It’s open season for youngsters looking to break through and make an impression too. Brendan Rodgers made a commitment to youth before he left. But with the likes of Armstrong Oko-flex and Ewan Henderson getting chances in the squad recently, there’s no reason to think Mullen can’t see some bench time this season.
Being a goalkeeper, he’ll have some task getting in one day ahead of Scott Bain. But the youngster is progressing nicely, and clearly has the trust of the first-team given he’s helping out in training.
Here’s hoping we can get a glimpse of one of our young goalkeepers before the end of the campaign.
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