Celtic continue their pre-season preparations in Portugal this week.
After losing to Estrela last time out, Celtic will want to put things right against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday evening, in what will be the players’ toughest test of the summer so far.
It’s the champions of Scotland locking horns against the champions of Portugal, and it’s also another chance for a number of the youngsters to impress Brendan Rodgers.
Quite a number of them have featured in pre-season so far, but the Celtic manager has been urged to give one rising teenager the chance in the first team.
Celtic teenager Sean McArdle urged to be given a chance
Several academy players made their Celtic debuts last season, including highly-rated midfielder Sean McArdle.
McArdle earned minutes against Hibernian and Aberdeen from the bench for the post-split fixtures, and Frank McAvennie liked what he saw.
Speaking on his Let Me Be Frank Podcast, McAvennie thinks the 17-year-old showcased some ‘swagger’ and proved that he ‘should be there’ with the senior side.
“There were a couple of boys who came on at the end of last season, youngsters,” said McAvennie.
“They look and the swagger in the bits (they do). Is it Sean McArdle? He looked as if he should be there. He got a lot of press. It was good press.
“That’s what I am talking about, people coming in and stamping their authority.”
Celtic’s remaining pre-season matches
A lot of patience is going to be needed from McArdle, especially given the midfield options Rodgers can pick from.
You have players like Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan on the bench, but there is nothing wrong with doing your talking on the pitch and looking like you belong.
At the very least, McArdle can become a regular on the bench ahead of the new season, and then push on from there, but he will need to impress in pre-season if he wants that to happen.
Celtic’s remaining pre-season matches:
- Sporting CP vs Celtic, July 16, 19:30 BST, Faro, Portugal
- Celtic vs Newcastle United, July 19, 15:00 BST, Glasgow, Scotland
- Ajax vs Celtic, July 24, 19:30 BST, Como, Italy
- Como Cup Third Place Play-Off or Como Cup Final, July 26/27, Como, Italy
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
