Adam Asghar is reported to be the favourite to take over the role as coach to the Celtic u-18 team.
Very little is known about the u-18 squad, fixtures aren’t mentioned on the club website with no announcement over the departure of Stuart McLaren as coach despite only taking up the job in January 2022.
Eleven teams competed in the u-18 Elite League which provides a route to the UEFA Youth League but with just 20 fixtures played before the split in March it appears to be of limited value.
According to Scottish Football Fixtures Celtic did finish in the top six but have lost their last three matches against Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Hamilton Accies.
Although just 29-year-old Asghar has held coaching jobs with the SFA, Motherwell and Dundee United and is currently coaching the Southampton u-21 side.
Discussing a revamp of coaching relating to Asghar, Scott Burns of the Daily Record reports:
The Scot has also had experience at top team level. He was first-team coach at Dundee United under Tam Courts, Micky Mellon and Liam Fox before he was headhunted by Sunderland.
Asghar also has a wealth of experience from his time with the academies at Motherwell and United, while also coaching in the Scottish Football Association’s coaching school at Braidhurst. Former Celtic players Charlie Mulgrew and Jonny Hayes are also under consideration for the position.
It is understood that the Hoops could yet make several appointments. They have interviewed for the Under-18 position but they also have a coaching position in the B team after Darren O’Dea moved up to pathway manager. So there are Under-18 and B-team jobs, and Celtic could yet bring in another coach to boost their under-age sides.
Celtic B team has just completed their third season in the Lowland League which has been arranged on a year by year basis.
Apart from Daniel Kelly no one has been promoted from Celtic B into the first team squad for a sustained period, playing in the 5th/6th tier of the Scottish game leaves a massive gulf to the SPFL Premiership.
Realistically to reach the Celtic first team you need to be playing around SPFL Championship level at the age of 17 or 18 which kind of bypasses the need to be playing in the u-18 or Lowland Leagues.
If Celtic win the SPFL Premiership they will compete in next season’s UEFA Youth League, over the last two seasons they have used the Lowland League squad for those matches with Stephen McManus and Darren O’Dea in charge.
