'Brilliant news' - McGinlay left buzzing as Celtic announce in-house player agreement

Celtic podcaster Ryan McGinlay has given his thoughts on a new contract that has been handed out to Daniel Kelly.

The club announced yesterday that the 16-year-old had signed his first professional contract at Celtic Park. The youngster has been coming up through the club’s academy and into the B team but the signing of his first professional deal means that he could be on his way to the senior side sooner rather than later.

It comes at a good time because there were reports to suggest he was garnering some interest from some English Premier League sides over a possible switch, whilst Portuguese giants Benfica have also seen their names mentioned with regards to a move.

McGinlay took to Twitter to react to the announcement, which he dubbed ‘brilliant news’ before claiming that the club should be looking to do something similar with fellow youngster Ben Doak, who is also being courted by some big names in European football:

TIF Thoughts on Ryan McGinlay’s comments on Daniel Kelly at Celtic…

The three-year contract that they signed Kelly to does show a level of faith in him from the Celtic hierarchy, and Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou has tended to lean on the club’s young players at times this season, so the chances are that if he is talented enough to be touted by so many big clubs, there might be a path into the senior side for the youngster in the coming seasons.

With the league title race so tight this season, it might be a little bit too early to throw him in at the deep end, but when the summer rolls around and the club are in pre-season mode, it will be interesting to see if he makes the step up straight away or will be kept back to develop a little bit more.

In other news: Huge Old Firm blow, supporters left fuming: