International boss talks ‘the plan’ for exciting Celtic youngster coming through Lennoxtown

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Celtic starlet Francis Turley made the headlines last month after making his debut for the Bhoys as a substitute away to St Mirren.

Following a mature pre-season showing, the 18-year-old has won the attention of Brendan Rodgers, who is prepared to invest time into his development while acknowledging the youngster needs to grow at his own pace.

After Turley came on at the SMiSA Stadium, the Irishman laid out his plan for the Belfast-born talent to continue thriving at Celtic, meaning he didn’t go out on loan during the window.

He stated: “I think he needs to stay. I was really impressed with him over the course of pre-season. He still has a lot of maturation, and I think that what we don’t need to do is put a lot of hype into a young 18-year-old. Just take your time.”

With Celtic now in the international break, it appears Rodgers isn’t the only manager who has been impressed by Turley’s potential.

Michael O’Neill on Celtic starlet Francis Turley

Turley has featured for Northern Ireland up until Under-19 level and was scheduled to participate in his age group’s European Championships this summer before withdrawing due to his pre-season involvement with Celtic.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Michael O’Neill believes that Turley, if he continues to develop at the correct pace, won’t be too far away from a senior call-up to represent his country. The former Stoke City boss also revealed he has spoken with Rodgers about the starlet.

He stated: “I’ve had conversations with Brendan and the people at Celtic about Fra. He is well known to us. Unfortunately, he missed out on the Euro Under-19 Championships because he was away with the Celtic first team.

“We will continue to monitor his progress. It’s great he was on the bench for Celtic the last couple of games, and great that he got on the pitch for his debut, but at this moment in time, I think he is just a little bit young and a little bit inexperienced, though his time will come.

“I don’t think at Celtic at this stage he is ready for a loan. That’s not part of the plan there. He might have to be patient in terms of what minutes he is able to get at first-team level, but the fact he is around the first team and Brendan clearly rates him highly and has talked to me about his high level of technique shows how he is thought of.”

Francis Turley has time on his side at Celtic

Earlier this summer, Rocco Vata and Daniel Kelly left Glasgow in search of regular game time elsewhere despite being promised roles in the first team.

Both ambitious young players wanted to be at the forefront in a senior environment. Other clubs may provide that sooner, but you must be more patient to get that at Celtic.

Turley seems prepared to bide his time and learn the ropes at Lennoxtown. His family is also on board with trusting his development at the Bhoys, which will only increase his chances of becoming a senior player for his boyhood team.

Celtic and the man in question seem to share a realistic vision for his future. Hopefully, Turley can continue to make an impression, if he does, he will see the rewards.