Celtic youth update: Maloney’s impact, co-op deals & B team shifts

For too long, Celtic's youth academy hasn't had the coverage it deserves. The next generation of Callum McGregors and Kieran Tierneys have attempted to work their way into the first team against a backdrop of obscurity. Supporters are starved of regular news on academy goings-on.

That is predominantly why my X account, Celtic Youth and Loan Updates, 'blew up', as the kids would say, almost two years ago. You'll have noticed that it has gone dormant of late. Now, I will bring all the latest from Barrowfield, Lennoxtown and beyond via this weekly column on The Celtic Way.

There have been some notable changes to Celtic's academy set-up this summer. Darren O'Dea, Professional Player Pathway Manager, departed the club to take up a first-team coaching role at Swansea City. He was replaced by Shaun Maloney, a man very familiar with Celtic's academy, having made over 200 senior appearances for the club after graduating from it.

Stephen McManus remains in charge of the B team, with the help of Jonny Hayes. The under-18s have moved up to under-19s, and are still managed by Adam Asghar, who is entering his second year at Celtic after joining from Southampton last summer.

The B side are already three games into their Lowland League campaign. They have shown all the signs that they are very much a team in transition so far, scoring nine goals, but shipping eight. Their season started with a home game against Broxburn Athletic. Rhys Dargie, who bagged nine goals in 16 appearances last term, netted twice in the first half. An own goal then helped McManus' men to victory in the second 45.

The youngsters then played out consecutive 3-3 draws with Civil Service Strollers and Cumbernauld Colts. Samuel Isiguzo, whom many fans will be familiar with after he appeared for the senior team in pre-season, captained the B side against the latter after the usual skipper, Mitchell Robertson, departed on loan to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Isiguzo scored in that game. There are high hopes for the 18-year-old, who was brought in from St Cadoc's Youth Club a few years ago.

Thomas Hatton has impressed early in the season, too. He bagged a brace against Civil Service Strollers. One of the older players in the B team at 19 years of age, there will be an onus on Hatton to step up to the plate this season.

Another player worth highlighting is Hayden Borland. A left-sided central defender, he came into the side midway through last campaign and hasn't looked back since. Still only 17 years old and not 18 until next March, he has played 90 minutes in each of Celtic B's opening three Lowland League fixtures this term and scored versus Cumbernauld.

McManus' men currently sit eighth in Scotland's fifth tier. They finished last season as runners-up, seven points behind eventual champions East Kilbride. A home game - in Airdrie - against Tranent Juniors is in store on Saturday, before the youngsters face Clyde in the KDM Evolution Trophy, otherwise known as the Scottish Challenge Cup, next Tuesday.

Ayr United and co-op agreements: Progress so far and what we're hearing

It remains to be seen whether co-op agreements, introduced by the Scottish FA for the new season, will bear fruit and help thwart the youth crisis in our game. The proof of concept will not become apparent until it's bedded and produces results, or not, over time.

To many, it was no surprise that Celtic signed their first agreement with Ayr United, given the obvious Scott Brown connection. Initially, however, the club did intend to join up with Queen's Park. After those plans were scuppered, eyes turned to the coast.

Sources close to the academy set-up have suggested that Maloney has made a strong early impression in his new role at Celtic, and The Celtic Way understands he was a key figure in sealing the Ayr deal. He personally visited Somerset Park, took in first-team training, and attended their game away to Arbroath last Friday night.

Ayr drew 1-1 in the northeast, with two young Celts, Jude Bonnar and Kyle Ure, both featuring for The Honest Men, the former from the start and the latter from the bench. Both players are at Somerset on co-op agreements, so can be called back to Celtic at any point throughout the campaign, should the club desire. A third young player will soon also join Ayr from Celtic. Brendan Rodgers is finalising his first team plans for the new campaign before sanctioning a move.

The Scottish Premiership champions could also sign two more co-op agreements, one with a team in League One and another with a League Two side. Discussions have been held, and Celtic are currently exploring their options.

(Image: Paul Devlin - SNS Group)

Celtic loan latest

Celtic currently have seven players out on loan, excluding the two at Ayr as part of the co-op. This column won't focus on the likes of Luis Palma, Odin Thiago Holm, and Maik Nawrocki, but rather homegrown youngsters like Ben McPherson, Josh Clarke, Adam Montgomery, and Mitchell Robertson.

The two former will spend the season at Partick Thistle, under the stewardship of Mark Wilson. Neither have taken to the field for the Firhill side yet. Montgomery, however, has been a regular in the team since joining Livingston for the campaign.

The left-back marked his debut in style, scoring in a 6-0 win over Kelty Hearts in the League Cup, even if the Sportscene highlights of Livi's opening day draw with Kilmarnock didn't do him much justice.

David Martindale has a credible reputation for developing young players who come on loan to Almondvale from bigger Scottish Premiership clubs. Robbie Fraser of Rangers and Heart of Midlothian's Macauley Tait have both spoken highly of the strict yet fair boss. Regardless, even if Montgomery has a standout season in West Lothian, question marks remain over his long-term Celtic future.

Central defender Robertson, captain of the B team last season, joined Inverness Caledonian Thistle on loan at the end of last week. He made a brief cameo in their 3-0 win over Kelty at the weekend.

The 20-year-old really needed a loan, and another year of Lowland League football won't do the likes of Francis Turley, Sean McArdle, Mitchel Frame, and others any favours. Finding senior experience for several youngsters will be high up on Maloney's to-do list, even if it comes via another co-op agreement.