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Steven Thompson lauds the ‘fearless’ Celtic youngster Karamoko Dembele

Celtic players celebrate as club captain Scott Brown lifts the trophy during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Heart o...
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Karamoko Dembele will be hoping to make Celtic’s matchday squad for their Scottish Cup final against Hearts.

Karamoko Dembele of Celtic in action during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Heart of Midlothian FC at Celtic Park on May 19, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland.

BBC Sport pundit Steven Thompson has labelled Celtic’s Karamoko Dembele as ‘desperate’ and ‘fearless’ following his debut performance over the weekend.

The 16-year-old attacker came off the bench during the half-time break as the Scottish Premiership champions ended the season with a 2-1 win over Hearts.

Whilst Dembele failed to get on the scoresheet, he impressed many inside Parkhead with his ability to run with the ball and put his opponent on the back foot with relative ease.

Speaking to Sportscene on BBC One Scotland (20/05/2019 at 12:10 am), Thompson admitted that Dembele was ‘desperate’ to get on the scoresheet, but he was mightly impressed with what he produced.

“He’s another very, very exciting prospect,” Thompson told Sportscene. “He’s fearless and that’s what you have to love about him. He wants the ball all the time. Give me it, I’ll make something happen. He’s got pace and skill in abundance.

“He was desperate to get on the scoresheet. He’s a player with a big, big reputation. You don’t want to rush young players in at the chance you might upset their rhythm. I do think he’s capable of playing in Celtic’s first team. Yes, he’s very young and you have to be fragile with him. He would have enjoyed [his debut]. I am sure we will see more of him next season.”

Aaron Hickey of Hearts holds off Karamoko Dembele of Celtic during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Hearts at Celtic Park on May 19, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland.

There is one more game in Celtic’s season to go and that is against Hearts in the Scottish Cup final this Saturday where they have the chance to win the treble-treble.

In their last league, Neil Lennon made a number of changes to his squad as a number of senior players sat out the final game of the season.

It remains to be seen who will return and whether someone like Dembele will find himself on the bench following his eye-catching debut.

Karamoko Dembele of Celtic is seen during the Scottish Premier league match between Celtic and Hearts at Celtic Park on May 19, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland.