With Celtic’s Twitter account taking a day off it was left to Instagram to wish Karamoko Dembele a Happy 18th Birthday.
Chances are that by the time he turns 19 he’ll be far away from Celtic with his contract expiring in the summer.
The most hyped teen at Celtic this century, and probably ever, has made just four substitute appearances with his hoops days likely to fizzle out leaving fans questioning what it was all about.
From the incredible You Tube clips to a bizarre Reserve Team debut at the age of 13 big things were expected. A few months after his 16th birthday he played 45 first team minutes against Hearts and earned a place on the bench the following week in the Scottish Cup Final against the same opponents.
While Karamoko has stagnated his direct opponent, Aaron Hickey left Hearts for Bologna in the summer with just over 30 top team appearances to his name.
View this post on Instagram
Physique has clearly been an issue with Karamoko, the chance to send him out on loan was resisted but there was no fall-back option of a worthwhile Reserve or Development set up.
Starting this season the clock was ticking down on his contract. It seemed that Celtic didn’t trust the player while Karamoko’s international exposure led him to believe that there are more attractive options out there.
With eight matches left to play Celtic’s season looks over, much like Karamoko’s Celtic days with a long, slow and silent exit over the next few months.