Karamoko Dembele has been hailed as “an incredible talent” by former Celtic captain Stephen McManus. The one-time centre-back is now manager of the Hoops under-18s side for which Dembele occasionally plays.
The 16-year-old leapt onto the Parkhead scene last weekend with a brilliant 45-minute cameo appearance. He may have surprised some inside Celtic Park with how easily he fitted into first-team action, but not McManus.
“Karamoko is incredibly young. He just turned 16 in February, but he is an incredible talent,” he told Football Scotland.
“If the manager and the coaching staff are looking for someone to come on and change a game, he’s definitely one you could see doing that.
“Any time he had the ball on Sunday, there was a sense of anticipation that something could happen.”
Could Dembele shine at Hampden?
The teenager must have given Neil Lennon some food for thought this week. His introduction breathed energy into Celtic’s display last weekend and could do likewise against the same opposition this time around.
Dembele showed more in 45 minutes that Oliver Burke has in several months. He must surely now be ahead of the West Brom man in the Celtic pecking order.
Dembele’s inexperience probably means that he won’t start Saturday’s final, but that’s not to say we shouldn’t see him at some stage. He’s shown he has something to offer and could be an ideal replacement to go up against weary legs in the closing stages.
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