Under-17 coach Miodgrag Krivokapic was delighted by last night’s Glasgow Cup win over Rangers.
Paul George’s goal settled the match in the 54th minute but there was a clear gulf in class between the two sides.
George, Marcus Fraser, Joe Chalmers and captain John Herron have already had a taste of life with the first team in friendly matches with that quartet forming the backbone of next season’s u-19 side.
Nine of the ten outfield players have played at u-17 or schoolboy international level this season having come through the Celtic Academy.
George is probably the pick of the bunch and has been with Celtic since the age of 13, making a brief first team appearance against Alkmaar last season.
“He’s a very exciting talent,” Krivokapic admitted. “He has a bit of flair and is a little bit different from the rest of the boys.
“We played him as a second striker through the middle to get a bit more freedom but he can play just as well wide on the left or right. I like players like that.
“I think that we deserved the win. In the first half we had a few opportunities but never scored.
“In the second half the game was a little bit more open, Rangers came on when we scored but I think we deserved our win over the 90 minutes.”
George added: “I got that appearance against Alkmaar and that brings a bit of pressure, people speak about it so I have to keep working hard and hopefully that will pay off.
“At u-19 level Celtic have won the double and we have to try and achieve that next season.
“James Forrest is a great role model for any young player coming through, he’s a good lad and speaks to me a lot.”
There was one surprise in the Celtic side with Italian kid Leonardo Fasan picked ahead of James Wightman in goals.
Wightman has been the first choice keeper for most of the season but Fasan didn’t let anyone down and pulled of a great save from Mark Ryan late in the first half during a rare Rangers breakaway.
“It was a difficult decision,” Krivokapic admitted. “We had a word with James, he’s a very good goalkeeper, very professional and I told him that Leonardo was going to play. He handled that well, they are all good boys and I like working with them.
“We don’t have a competitive league at u-17 but this year the Glasgow Cup has been a different competition. It’s a good idea to have more competitive games through the season.
“There are some very talented young players. They are working hard and wanting to become professionals.”
CELTIC: Fasan, Miller, Fraser, O’Brien, Chalmers; Herron, Fisher, Kidd; George, Johnstone
SUBS: Wightman, Findlay (Herron 88), Kirwan (Yaqub 90), Lindsay, Ankarhake (Johnstone 60), Madden, Mjallby
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