Friday, 22nd August, 2014
Celtic manager Ronny Deila is eager to promote youth at the club and wants the Scottish champions to emulate Ajax and Barcelona.
Callum McGregor, a product of Celtic’s youth academy, scored a crucial away goal in a 1-1 draw against NK Maribor on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League playoff tie.
And Deila has stressed the importance of promoting young Scottish players at Celtic.
“It’s important to get Scottish players and players from the youth academy”, the Norwegian told the club’s official site.
However, he added that it is hard to ask young players to step up to the level of Champions League football in a short span of time.
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“But it’s very hard because the level we are asked to be at, and we’re talking Champions League, is unbelievably hard so it is very hard to have only Celtic boys in the team.”
Deila also added that there is no reason why Celtic cannot have a comprehensive youth development policy and emulate the likes of Ajax and Barcelona in the future.
“Hopefully in the future we can be more like Ajax and Barcelona.
“If we can work well together between the first-team and the academy and the same direction I think things will happen.”
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