It hasn’t been easy for Celtic academy talent Stephen Welsh in recent weeks.
After making his debut for the club against Hamilton last season, he had to remain patient for his next opportunities under Neil Lennon.
When they came, he just so happened to be thrust into our biggest games of the 2020/21 campaign to date.
The 20-year-old was a surprise inclusion against Rangers and, like the rest of the team, looked uneasy against Steven Gerrard’s outfit.
It wasn’t any easier for him against AC Milan days later and he was one of the players sacrificed at half-time as the manager changed formation.
Still, the mere fact he is involved at the moment is positive and shows that Lennon has some sort of trust in him.
This is a huge learning experience for him and we must have patience.
At the age of 20, he is quite far along his development path but he’s barely been exposed to senior football.
Welsh’s most recent appearance came from the bench against Lille, shoring up the defence as a replacement for midfielder Olivier Ntcham.
He didn’t look out of his depth in the closing minutes.
With an injury to Kristoffer Ajer adding to Celtic’s woes in the defensive line, where issues such as Shane Duffy’s form and Christopher Jullien’s fitness persist, Welsh will likely get more chances in the coming weeks and months.
It’s important that fans remain supportive, even though we are not attending matches. Social media blowback or harsh criticism will not serve him well at this stage.
Pleasing then that I am seeing plenty of positive comments.
The player recently posted to Twitter and there was not a negative reply in sight, with the vast majority very happy to share their excitement about his progress.
This is what people are saying…
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