Listening to Jackson Irvine on the podcast from Glasgow is Green was a reminder of the fine line that separates players like Irvine from Kieran Tierney.
It requires skill and ability to be a contender to play for Celtic but circumstances also play a big part.
If Tyler Blackett hadn’t bombed would KT have got his chance?
Irvine found himself at Celtic during a time when the club had an abundance of central midfielders, an impressive display against Liverpool in the Dublin Decider earned him a loan move to Kilmarnock rather than a first team chance at Celtic.
Life after Celtic can be tough for a lot of players but there are plenty of examples of players who buckled down and created a decent career out of the public eye.
Scott Cuthbert falls into that category serving Swindon and Orient before moving on to Luton where he is joined by another former Celt in Stephen O’Donnell.
Those that have left Celtic early have rarely went on to have spectacular careers elsewhere but Irvine could buck the trend with a number of Premier League clubs tracking an internationalist who has hit double figures in The Championship.
Click on the panel below to flick through the former Celts enjoying a decent career in the game even if it didn’t quite happen for them at Celtic Park.