The Celtic youngster continues to show exciting potential.
Celtic teenager Jonathan Afolabi continued his push towards the Hoops first-team with a double against Albion Rovers for the reserves side on Tuesday night.
The 19-year-old joined from Southampton during the summer transfer window, just one of a number of exciting talents to be signed from the fringes of cash rich clubs in England.
A born attacker, who plays predominately through the middle, he could well be the next teenage talent to make a breakthrough into Neil Lennon’s senior side.
The Frimpong precedent
Not much was expected initially from the group of young players that Celtic signed in the summer. It would have been perfectly understandable for all of them to spend months with the reserve and development squads honing their skills given their lack of senior action at previous clubs.
However, the debut handed to Jeremie Frimpong last week has changed all that. Exploding onto the right-back scene with a man of the match performance against Partick Thistle, he showed he is more than capable of competing at domestic level for the Hoops.
Lennon also demonstrated he will not be afraid to unleash young players if he feels they are good enough.
Promising signs
Afolabi scored his first goal for Celtic’s reserves in a 4-2 cup win over Morton last week. His delightful backheel flick demonstrated he has serious ability in the box when given opportunities.
Having scored another double this week, he’s thriving at that level.
With Vakoun Bayo and Leigh Griffiths providing support for Odsonne Edouard, it’ll be difficult to force his way into the team. However, as this week shows, numbers can dwindle quickly in attack.
The Hoops manager is without recognised backup for the Frenchman for the upcoming Cluj clash, with Bayo suspended and Griffiths injured.
Sadly for Celtic, Afolabi is not registered in the Europa League squad.
Afolabi’s prior experience
The 19-year-old hasn’t turned up at Celtic Park without making progression elsewhere.
Last season he emerged as a regular pick for Southampton’s U23s side and is making waves at youth international level too.
He scored a goal that help push the Republic of Ireland into the semi-finals of the U19s Euros, scoring six goals in 16 appearances at that level.
He’s in the midst of an ongoing process and if the opportunity comes up over the coming weeks and months, don’t be surprised to see him make his Celtic debut.
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