Celtic announced on Friday evening that youngster Barry Coffey has committed his future to the club, signing a new two-year deal that keeps him at Celtic Park until 2022.
The midfielder has yet to play a competitive game for the Bhoys, but was included on the team’s pre-season tour of Austria and Switzerland last summer, with manager Neil Lennon handing him a friendly appearance against SC Pinkafeld.
Coffey, who is still just 18, is an important player for the reserve and development sides and has also been doing well with the Republic of Ireland youth sides.
He’s represented his country seven times at U19 level and it was his goal against Czech Republic that helped them into the semi-finals of the U19 Euros last summer, where they were knocked out by Portugal.
Clearly he was delighted to put pen to paper on a new deal, reflecting on his progress so far by telling CelticFC.net: “At the start of the season, it was an unreal experience to be involved with the first team and to play a few games in Austria.
“And then I was away with Ireland U-19s at the Euros, which was another fantastic experience. Now, I’ll work as hard as I can at Celtic, and can hopefully catch the gaffer’s eye again.”
Competition in the middle of the park is fierce with Scott Brown and Callum McGregor almost ever-present, but Lennon has shown he is not afraid to give youth a chance if they earn their spot.
Will 2020 be the year that Coffey breaks into the team?
These fans were delighted by the announcement, taking to Twitter over the last 48 hours to share their thoughts…
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