Former Motherwell academy director Gordon Young has tipped Celtic midfielder David Turnbull to become an international captain with Scotland in the future.
Young spotted Turnbull during his time in North Lanarkshire, with David going on to become a first-team star before signing for Celtic in a £3.25m deal [BBC].
The impact the former Motherwell man has had in Glasgow has been substantial. Turnbull has already made 69 appearances for the Hoops, bagging 18 goals and 15 assists in the process [Transfermarkt]. That form led to him being taken to Euro 2020 last summer, granted he never managed an appearance.
But Young, now the assistant boss of Cove Rangers, believes it’s only a matter of time before the Celtic man not only plays regularly for his country, but is also captaining them.
As quoted by the Daily Record, Young said: “We managed the top talent – the real challenge was getting others up to a level where they could be a late bloomer or something. David’s a £3 million player who’s made it at Celtic and will go on to captain Scotland in my opinion. He’s a truly wonderful footballer.
“It’s a testament to the system that it can produce these type of kids. David was way ahead of anyone I saw as a young kid because he knew the game. He could take the ball and handle it – he knew where to be. You need to be able to process the information then deliver. It’s not about where you are at 12, it’s about where you are at 21.”
David Turnbull close to more Scotland opportunities amid Celtic progress
International opportunities have generally evaded Turnbull despite the fact he took his game to new heights in 2021. Despite his form being at a high level consistently throughout the year, he was often snubbed for minutes by Steve Clarke.
His ticket to the Euros was a promising step for him undoubtedly. But not getting a single appearance was a tough frustrating.
It’s not as if he was utilised by Clarke during the second half of the year either. Scotland were involved in World Cup qualifiers between September and November. However, he was only given 3 cameo appearances adding up to 11 minutes in total. Disappointing considering his form for Celtic under Ange Postecoglou.
Of course, Turnbull is only 22 years of age. There’s plenty of time for him to make his mark on Clarke’s squad. Plenty of campaigns for him to sink his teeth into. But that doesn’t mean that his time to impress isn’t now.
Young could be right in that Turnbull has captaincy material deep within him. Whether we see that at Celtic or for Scotland remains to be seen. But his first target will be winning a place in Clarke’s starting XI.
Hopefully, when he returns from injury, we see an instant return to form. Scotland have some big World Cup playoff games coming up in 2022. There’s no reason David can’t be front and centre for them.
In other news, Report: The Ange Postecoglou intervention that led to Matt O’Riley Celtic medical
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