Charlie Mulgrew is hoping to become the latest ex-Celtic player to have his son follow in his footsteps.
Mulgrew’s son Josh recently signed his first professional contract at the club, having made his first appearance for the B team aged 17.
If he can make his first team debut, the Mulgrew family will join the Vatas, the McNamaras, the Chalmers and all the other families to have had a father and son appear for Celtic.
Josh has a tough act to follow given that his dad made over 200 appearances for the club, often being named captain in the absence of Scott Brown.
But he has already repeated one thing that his Dad did, in a striking coincidence which Mulgrew has celebrated on social media.
Charlie Mulgrew’s brilliant post about his son at Celtic
Mulgrew’s journey at Celtic wasn’t conventional – he came through the academy but never made a first-team appearance, being loaned out and eventually let go to Wolves permanently.
He had to earn the right to return to Celtic Park, and did so, hence the famous chant which labelled him the ‘prodigal son’.
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17-year-old Mulgrew jr played for Celtic’s under-18s last week against Motherwell at Dalziel Park.
And his dad took to Instagram to reveal that he had done the same, at the same age, putting the two images next to one another.
Charlie Mulgrew’s brilliant post about his son
How can you not get romantic about football…
Mulgrew’s pride is understandable. Of course, Celtic have already encountered a father-son duo this week, with Robin van Persie subbing on his son Shaqueel in Thursday’s Europa League tie.
That’s something that we’re yet to see. Jordan Larsson, son of a man who needs no introduction, has also been constantly linked with Celtic – he is currently playing pretty well for Copenhagen.
But given his family connections, young Mulgrew will certainly be one to watch in the academy, which will benefit from the recent development of Barrowfield.
Celtic’s best current academy prospects
The player who is perhaps the current standout from Mulgrew’s age group is Emmanuel Obidiwe, another midfielder who has become a regular in the B team despite being just 16.
15-year-old defender Dara Jikeimi is subject to interest from Liverpool, having stood out for the Hoops’ youth sides.
A host of young players are currently out on loan from the B side, gaining experience at a higher level. These include Kyle Ure, Sean McArdle and Jude Bonnar.
18-year-olds Finlay Hale and Samuel Isiguzo were named on the bench in Rotterdam, having recently trained with the first team.
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