Highly-rated Bosun Lawal destined for pre-season opportunity at Celtic

By Lewis Laird

June 6, 2022

Last season, despite a slightly rocky start, the Celtic defensive backline was arguably the most settled part of Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops side.

Between the sticks, Joe Hart had formed a brilliant partnership with the duo of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Whilst Anthony Ralston and Josip Juranovic would share duties on the right, Greg Taylor was more of a regular feature on the left, and the trio continued to develop their roles as inverted full-backs.

The back five played a massive role in not only keeping the ball out of the net with the best defensive record in the league last season but also building up the attacking play.

However, Celtic could be without the base at the centre of defence as we head into pre-season at the beginning of July.

Earlier in the week, Carl Starfelt picked up a worrying hamstring injury which forced him off during his first competitive start for Sweden.

Currently, we do not know precisely how long the 27-year old will be out for. But, there’s a chance he will miss the beginning of pre-season.

His defensive partner, Cameron Carter-Vickers, who is also on international duty, has also not officially signed for the Hoops as of yet.

Of course, reports have been positive regarding that transfer so far, with suggestions that CCV has already agreed personal terms with the club. However, there is also the possibility that the American misses the beginning of pre-season, even if he signs given his international exploits in the United Staes.

So, that would leave Postecoglou to use his backup options during the first few fixtures of the pre-season camp in Austria.

Looking at the first-team defenders, the only player who has really been trusted across the season under the 56-year old is Stephen Welsh.

Other options include Christopher Jullien, whose future with the club remains uncertain and Dane Murray, who made his debut last year and only played twice for the first team.

Unfortunately, in Murray’s case, though, he is also likely to miss the start of the season due to a serious injury. So, could that open the door for another youngster to grab an opportunity this pre-season?

Could Austria provide an opportunity for Bosun Lawal to step up?

After an impressive first campaign in Tommy McIntyre’s Celtic B side, the early stages of pre-season could provide Bosun Lawal with a brilliant opportunity to show his worth to Ange Postecoglou.

The central defender is highly rated within the club, with McIntyre labelling Lawal a ‘real find’ and a player they have hope for in the future.

The 19-year old certainly has the attributes of a defender playing in Postecoglou’s system due to both his defensive and on the ball abilities.

A lot could change between now and the beginning of pre-season. After all, this is football, and CCV could be signed by next week.

However, I imagine the Celtic manager will be keen to access his options, particularly amongst the younger players at the club.

This summer and the way things have fallen into place could prove to be the perfect opportunity for Bosun Lawal to make his breakthrough into the Celtic squad in an attempt to impress the boss.

In other news, Celtic-linked Ko Itakura’s fine performance vs Neymar highlighted by Japan boss.