Karamoko Dembele sees Celtic development questioned at Blackpool as ex Gerrard and Beale ally airs game time woes

Blackpool manager Neil Critchley has questioned Karamoko Dembele's early career - with the Tangerines boss bemused by how the youngster was developed at Celtic.

Dembele garnered continental attention whilst he was growing in the youth ranks at Celtic Park, with footage emerging of him running rings around players SEVEN years above his age at just 13 years old in the academy. That culminated in Dembele making his first appearance for the Hoops against Hearts shortly after his 16th birthday, with many banking on him to become a superstar.

For a multitude of reasons, it hasn't quite worked out for the London-born youngster. He's currently turning out in a loan spell for Blackpool in the third-tier of English football, having moved to French club Brest last season, and with two goals and one assist in just 210 minutes of football, he's playing the best football of his already young career.

And Tangerines gaffer Critchley - who used to work with former Rangers manager duo Steven Gerrard and Michael Beale at Liverpool, before taking over Beale when he moved to Ibrox - has questioned why the diminutive star has not been playing this often at any level before, appearing to ponder why Celtic haven't utilised him on either a loan move or in the Hoops first-team.

Speaking ahead of Blackpool's home game against Peterborough on Saturday, Critchley said: "If you look at his pathway and his development, his career and the games he has played, he's not played loads or had many starts. It's not been consistent where he's churning out 90 minutes every game, you have to understand where he's at and help him on that.

"You have to help him build up that side of his game, that's the journey of a young player. He's 20 and the next step for him