Celtic have maintained sheer dominance in domestic competitions but are yet to re-establish their long-gone European stature. Brendan Rodgers, the former Liverpool gaffer, has arguably done a splendid job by introducing an exciting style of football with plenty of fresh talents alongside a number of veterans who have adapted well to the Northern Irishman’s football philosophy. He, however, is concentrating upon building a youthful squad who will flourish under him and work as a unit to achieve greater glories in the longer run.
The Hoops have recently roped in 16-year old goalkeeper Liam Hughes from NIFL Premiership outfit Dungannon Swifts F.C. who is pretty highly rated there and has already made senior appearances for his boyhood side before plying his trade to Scotland. Hughes has also represented Northern Ireland at U-17 levels and shown promises to be one of the greatest of their stars in years to come.
Celtic have veteran Craig Gordon as their first-choice custodian who is in his mid-thirties whereas Dorus de Vries, his deputy, is 37-year-old and unlikely to stay beyond this summer. Scotsman Scott Bain has been loaned in from Dundee FC for the remainder of the campaign but is quite unlikely to be handed a permanent deal beyond this season.
Gordon, 35, is likely to continue as the preferred option between the sticks for at least a couple of more campaigns, which, however, will hand young Hughes to continue his progress and stake a claim for the senior football in due course. Rodgers has always backed his youngsters and handed them opportunities to have a timely career growth. The likes of Kristoffer Ajer, Olivier Ntcham, Kieran Tierney, Moussa Dembele, Eboue Kouassi and Patrick Roberts have been enjoying enough senior experience under the ex-Reds boss and the first-team door will always be open for Hughes if he continues to impress the gaffer in the training ground.
Celtic might have a squad to dominate the Scottish football but are no match in terms of their European opponents. They were demoted to the UEFA Europa League competition following their group stage exit from the prestigious Champions League football but could not proceed through to the Round of 16 of the tournament after being knocked out by Zenit St Petersburg in the two-legged tie. They clinched a 1-0 victory at Celtic Park but a 3-0 thrashing in Russia knocked them out of the competition on aggregate. But the boss remains hopeful of a brighter future as he is grooming a set of youngsters to re-establish a strong foundation that will bring them glory beyond Scotland.
“We now have to go away and finish the domestic campaign as well as we possibly can and try to create another piece of history on that front. We then need to try and be better in Europe like we were this year and take another step forward.”
Rodgers stated after being knocked out of Europe on Thursday night as he is focusing on tiny yet steady progress to compete alongside the European giants in years to come by. Liam Hughes is one such name for the future.
