Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has praised teenager Ben Summers after his inclusion in the squad against Hibernian on Saturday.
The Lowdown: Another win
The Hoops took another step towards retaining their Scottish Premiership title with a 3-1 win over Hibs at Celtic Park. Thody Youan received two yellow cards during the first half, however, the visitors still managed to go in 1-0 up at the interval following a Josh Campbell penalty.
Postecoglouâs side managed to turn things around in the second half, though, with goals from Jota, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Sead Haksabanovic sealing the win to restore their nine-point lead at the top of the tale over rivals Rangers after their lunchtime win at Motherwell.
Summers, 18, was a surprise inclusion in the matchday squad for the first time, with Postecoglou seemingly excited at the youngster coming through at Lennoxtown.
The Latest: Postecoglouâs comments
Postecoglou was asked about Summersâ inclusion in the matchday squad prior to the game by BBC Radio Scotland. As relayed by 67 Hail Hail, the Hoops boss admitted that the midfielder has been training with the first team for a while and âlooks the partâ, describing him as âreally strongâ in the B team.
âWeâve obviously got a couple of injuries in the midfield area with Aaron and Tomoki out. Ben has been training with us for a little while, heâs been really strong in the B team this year and performing well.
âHe looks the part in our training and we needed another midfielder on the bench today, so he gets his chance. At a big club, itâs hard, but the reality is you do get an opportunity like he does today, it doesnât take much â a couple of injuries.
âThe key thing for young players is to perform well when they get the opportunity, train well and gain the trust of teammates and coaches. Ben gets his today.â
The Verdict: New deal?
The Hoops may well have a future first-team midfielder on their hands in Summers, who appears to be catching Postecoglouâs eye on the training ground.
He is primarily an attacking midfielder, as per Transfermarkt, although he has contributed to eight goals in 24 appearances for Celticâs B team in a variety of midfield and attacking positions.
Summersâ current contract expires at the end of the season, though, so the club may be looking to tie him down for the long run, especially following his first involvement in a first-team matchday squad.
