BRENDAN RODGERS saluted his Wonder Bhoys after Celtic 5-0 runaway Betfred League Cup success over Kilmarnock at Parkhead last night.
The Hoops boss picked out skipper-for-the-night Kieran Tierney for special mention, but he was overjoyed with the performances of the other superbabes.
Eighteen-year-old right-back Anthony Ralston marked the occasion by scoring his first goal for the club with a powerful header for the second goal.
Calvin Miller was lively in the left-back role with Tierney tucked in beside towering Norwegian Kristoffer Ajer who strolled through the 90 minutes.
Teenagers Eboue Kouassi, before his injury, and Kundai Benyu also impressed as ‘old Bhoy’ Leigh Griffiths, at 26, bagged a double to bring his total to four in two games.
Celtic continue their busy start to the season on Friday evening with a trip across the city to play Patrick Thistle. The Firhill side were one of the more accomplished opponents that Celtic faced last season so Brendan Rodgers will be sure to show the Jags maximum respect.
For those who like a bet on the Friday night football SportNation.bet has Celtic at 2/9 while you can get 21/2 on the home side.
After last night’s win Brendan Rodgers said: “It’s just about timing and this season is the next step for them. I know I have a good group of young boys there.
“Tony Ralston is a big talent and Calvin Miller did well, too. The young guys are hungry and want to play for Celtic and they are learning the game.
“It was a brilliant performance, a joy to watch the team. I genuinely think I can pick a team out of the squad and it’ll function to a high level, they all understand how we play.
“It was great to see the concentration of the young players, concentration from the first whistle.
“A great demonstration of the strength of our squad, six of the players who started were 20 or under, so it shows we’re a club for young players to develop and come through.
“Delighted for Tony Ralston to score his first goal, I thought he was brilliant on the evening.”
The Hoops boss, however, admitted he is facing a sweat over Eboue Kouassi after the Ivory Coast midfielder was forced off.
He added: “That’s the only downside. We will assess him over the next few days. He jarred his knee a little bit and we shall see what the scan shows up.”
Rodgers could be in for a transfer windfall if the much discussed move from Liverpool for former Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk takes place.
The player has asked for a transfer and although Southampton are reluctant to sell their star player, these things usually end with the player being sold. There’s a decent update on all of this transfer saga on SportNation.com and it all points to a £6m transfer windfall for Celtic.
That would be good news for Brendan Rodgers as we move towards the last few weeks of the transfer window, especially with the number of injuries his side has suffered in the early part of the season.
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