The incentive on offer for Celtic youngsters involved across early pre-season

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Celtic kicked off their pre-season last Friday evening with a stalemate at Ayr United on a day when an unfamiliar squad turned out at Somerset Park.

23 players turned out for the Bhoys as Brendan Rodgers offered some lesser-seen individuals a chance to impress in Ayrshire. The main priority was to get some minutes in legs ahead of another long campaign.

Queens Park await on Wednesday for Celtic, who will make the short trip to The City Stadium intent on bolstering match fitness with their three-match tour of the United States in mind.

Glamour matches against DC United, Chelsea and Manchester City while Stateside will act as the perfect warm-up for the start of the Scottish Premiership campaign. Nevertheless, there is also a major incentive there to grab for some of the Bhoys’ academy talents.

Celtic academy stars and the US tour opportunity

Reading between the lines, the lack of transfer movement at Celtic and the opportunity to take a healthy number of stars to the US may mean openings could present themselves for youngsters to board the plane in a couple of weeks’ time.

Optimally, this would be the time to introduce new signings. However, the club should also actively promote the inclusion of some youth prospects for several reasons.

Firstly, having the opportunity to travel away with the senior group and get a feel for the experience will provide all the motivation needed to make it a regular occurrence in the future.

Bringing through homegrown players is something Rodgers has cited as a key point of his second spell at Parkhead, so it would make sense to follow through on this commitment.

From a personal standpoint, it would also raise the profile of one or two youngsters. Granted, a few of them probably won’t be starting against the likes of Manchester City or Chelsea, but even a few minutes from the substitutes bench would be a defining moment in their career.

Seeing how elite professionals handle situations up close can only benefit their development. Celtic should be open to promoting from within where necessary, and it would be better to do it in a friendly setting before assessing who could make the step up to competitive action.

The Bhoys are building up to their much-anticipated three-match tour, and it is set to be an exciting time for all involved.