18-year-old right-back Anthony Ralston has caught Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers’ eye – and it’s an ominous sign for Cristian Gamboa.
Celtic’s proud tradition of bringing young players from the terraces to the first-team will only continue under Brendan Rodgers, a manager renowned for his ability to both spot and hone prodigious talents.
Both Callum McGregor and highly-rated left-back Kieran Tierney have taken their games to a new level since the Northern Irishman arrived at Parkhead last summer. And, according to the Scottish Sun, Anthony Ralston could soon join the Cappielow graduates in the senior set-up.
While Celtic were battering Old Firm rivals Rangers 5-1 in their own backyard on Saturday, Ralston too appears to have developed a taste for a derby day triumph. He played a major role as the Celtic Under-20 side cruised to a 3-0 Youth Cup victory over Rangers recently.
And it appears that the next logical step for the right-back is to target regular opportunities in the Hoops first-team. The Scottish Sun claims that Ralston could even be handed a start against St Johnstone on Saturday – potentially his first outing in the senior side since August’s 5-0 League Cup hammering of Motherwell.
However, this is far from good news for fellow right-back Cristian Gamboa. The Costa Rican, rescued from his West Brom nightmare last summer, has started just eleven Scottish Premiership games this season with the experienced Mikael Lustig firmly first choice.
And though Gamboa has impressed with his energy and speed on the flank, Ralston’s emergence hardly bodes well for his chances of increased game time next season.
The 2014 World Cup star admitted recently to the Evening Times that he was content to wait for his opportunity under Rodgers. However, that may change if Ralston decreases his number of starts even further.
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