Celtic supporters didn’t know a whole lot about Academy talent Ewan Otoo.
He had signed a new deal at Celtic relatively recently [Celtic FC], so clearly, the club saw potential. But was he a centre-back? A midfielder? The versatile youngster was a bit of an unknown quantity to the vast majority of us.
Now, he’s one of many away from the club, on loan at Clyde. And to say he’s impressed would be a massive understatement. While Luca Connell, Ewan Henderson and others earn more media acclaim, Otoo is beating players, setting up goals and proving himself in the tough and physical third tier of Scottish football.
Otoo was on fire for the Bully Wee last night, as they beat Forfar Athletic 3-0 [Clyde FC]. The Celtic Academy talent, playing at left-back, was pivotal for Danny Lennon’s side, who sit 8th in the table.
Lennon said [via Daily Record]:
“We got an absolutely brilliant individual bit of play by David [Goodwillie] and it takes you 1-0 up, and then Ewan [Otoo] was fantastic, hit the bye-line and we scored another perfectly good goal.
“There’s more to come from him [Ewan], in terms of his drive to get forward into key areas, and he did that.
“I thought, coming in at 2-0, we spoke about the problems that Forfar could cause if we didn’t handle the situation right, the mentality had to be good in the group, and I thought it was absolutely thorough throughout.”
It’s not just Ewan Otoo; Celtic Academy graduates are shining under spotlight
While the wisdom of loaning out so many youngsters was criticised at first, it’s clearly working. Ewan Henderson and Kerr McInroy are making strides at Dunfermline. Barry Coffey has impressed for Cliftonville. Meanwhile, Jonathan Afolabi is improving every week at Dundee, just like Luca Connell at Queens Park.
None of these players, apart from perhaps Ewan Henderson, could’ve realistically expected first-team minutes this season. With Reserve and Youth football largely ruled out due to Covid-19, playing in a professional or semi-professional environment can only help.
The return of lower league football was an absolute blessing for Celtic. Instead of potentially stagnating, a raft of Academy players have instead been given opportunities they wouldn’t have had otherwise.
As for Ewan Otoo, it’s particularly great to know we have a young left-back who can charge up the pitch and create goals. Full-backs are a weak area for the Celtic first-team. Otoo, a fantastically versatile young player, would be entitled to have an eye on first-team minutes over the next few years.
READ MORE: What were they thinking?
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