Celtic’s u-17 side will spend Easter playing against the best players in the world at the AEGON Future Cup in Amsterdam.
The young hoops will face Ajax, Liverpool and Corinthians in Pool B with the other group consisting of AC Milan, Fenerbache, Anderlecht and Benfica.
Celtic competed in the tournament in 2011 with only the best academies considered for the competition. The 2011 tournament was won by Anderlecht who also won it last season with Ajax beating Manchester United in the 2012 event.
Yesterday Celtic qualified for the final of the Glasgow Cup with a 3-0 win over Queens Park with the u-16 side gaining valuable experience ahead of next season.
Celtic’s u-17 squad have rarely played at that age group this season, competing mainly in the u-19 SPFL league which they won before Christmas with the League Cup currently keeping them busy.
With four matches left to play in the West group of the League Cup Celtic trail Airdrie by two points with a game in hand, on Wednesday Celtic travel to play Dumbarton.
With a number of development squad players out on loan the u-17 squad has also been used regularly for the u-20 side with Jack Breslin, Fiacre Kelleher, Luke Donnelly, Joe Thomson, Kieran Tierney and Regan Hardy on the bench for last week’s match against Hibs.
Celtic’s AEGON Cup campaign starts on Saturday morning at 10.30 against Ajax followed by a meeting with Liverpool three hours later. On Sunday morning the hoops conclude their group with a noon kick-off against Corinthians.
Tommy McIntyre is the coach of the u-17 side, assisted by Mio Krivokapic and George McCluskey with Colin Meldrum as goalkeeping coach.
CLICK HERE to follow the Aegon Cup on facebook
