Ten years after waving his son off to Manchester City, Bienvenu Boyata has urged young players not to chase the money.
Dedryck spent six years at the Etihad racking up a total of 25 first team appearances in-between loan spells at Bolton and FC Twente.
Only now, a decade later is Boyata startling to deliver on the potential that attracted City to buy the teenager from RWDM Brussels.
A solid season of development under Brendan Rodgers led to the defender playing in three matches at the World Cup in Russia bringing him to the attention of a far bigger audience.
“Dedryck lost lots of time in Manchester,” The Sun reports his father saying.
“The offer he received at the age of 16 was seemed difficult to refuse – £200,000 a year? It was even more!
“If I can advise parents – do not go abroad too quickly.
“Take the time to quietly grow in Belgium, as Tielemans or Dennis Praet [former Anderlecht star now at Sampdoria] did.
“Some succeed in their ambitions, but most give up, see their dream go up in smoke, and then return in a lower league.”
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Boyata’s Celtic contract runs out at the end of this season, as a free agent he will have plenty of options and can sign a pre-contract agreement in January.
In public Celtic haven’t given up hope of getting him onto a new contract but with many of his international team-mates picking up £200,000/week a new hoops deal seems to be wishful thinking.
