Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has given Anthony Ralston and Calvin Miller a chance this season – is Jamie McCart next in line?
Time will tell whether Jamie McCart has what it takes to force is way into the senior Celtic set-up. The 20-year-old centre-back is yet to make his league bow for the Scottish champions and, rather than stick around on the fringes of the first-team, is currently hoping to hone his trade during a three-month loan spell at second tier St Mirren.
And he’s certainly made a good first impression. McCart was excellent as he made his debut in St Mirren’s 3-1 win against Queen of the South 3-1 on Saturday, coping impressively with the visitor’s experienced strike force of Stephen Dobbie and Derek Lyle.
With his Under-20s team-mates Anthony Ralston and Calvin Miller thriving when being given an opportunity by Brendan Rodgers this season, McCart is hopeful that a loan spell at St Mirren will help him follow in their footsteps.
And an excellent start to life in the second tier suggests that McCart is going about his business in the right way. He stood out during an 11-game spell at Inverness last season even though he could not help them avoid relegation and appears to have taken to the senior game like a duck to water.
The question, however, is whether he can force his way into a Celtic defence that has looked rather light this season amid injuries to both Dedryck Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko.
Clearly, manager Brendan Rodgers is willing to give youth a chance and that should certainly give McCart hope that he can be the next fresh-faced local lad in Celtic’s senior set up.
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