The importance of mentorship at Celtic throughout the playing squad

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Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo arriving at Celtic have brought the subject of mentorship into the public domain over the last few days.

It is public knowledge that the Denmark international has come in to be number one in the short-term, with number two Sinisalo learning by his side ahead of potentially being the long-term solution between the sticks at Parkhead.

This makes great business sense, especially when you consider that Celtic have recruited two competent goalkeepers for the combined price of £1 million.

Nevertheless, looking at prominent figures as an example to the group shouldn’t be constricted to just the last line of defence when there are plenty of leaders for fringe men or younger players to learn from across the board.

Celtic have talent in every position on the pitch

Admittedly, I am fully aware this will already happen to some extent in the squad, but it does feel worthwhile pointing it out while the subject is relevant.

Take central defence as an example; Liam Scales revealed at the end of last campaign that he has learnt a wealth of knowledge from playing alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers, which will stand him in good stead for years to come at Parkhead.

Moving on, Celtic prospect Matthew Anderson has confessed to looking up to Greg Taylor amid the latter’s exploits over the last five years at Parkhead, so this practice is alive and well at the club.

Callum McGregor and James Forrest are two bastions of success at the Hoops, coming through the ranks as Lennoxtown graduates to now holding not far off 50 medals between them. Their longevity, quality and insatiable hunger to win should be the perfect motivation for any Parkhead hopefuls.

While the only senior centre-forward at the club, Kyogo Furuhashi’s expert movement and positioning is up there with anything seen at Celtic since Henrik Larsson. His goalscoring prowess is worthy of studying at academy level, but there are also lessons to be learned for any of his future counterparts.

In a nutshell, what I am trying to say is that there are a wealth of players in the ranks at Celtic with a track record of producing consistent performances on the big stage. Despite the lack of transfer activity this summer, there is plenty to be optimistic about ahead of the new campaign and to learn from.