Scots pundit drops ‘big’ Celtic transfer claim after confirmed transfer news
Alan Hutton has claimed the “big thing” for Celtic and Rangers is to put more focus on homegrown players.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Gers defender said he remembers how difficult it was to break into the first team at Ibrox when he was coming through the ranks.
According to Uefa’s requirements, clubs competing in their competitions must have a minimum of eight “locally trained” players in a named 25-man squad
As relayed by the Glasgow Times (12 April), the Hoops currently meet the minimum number of homegrown talent.
The current players in the squad who meet the criteria are first team regulars Callum McGregor and Greg Taylor, as well as Scott Bain, Stephen Welsh, David Turnbull, James Forrest, Anthony Ralston and James McCarthy.
But, homegrown players Mikey Johnston and Adam Montgomery will return from loan spells at the end of the season, although the pair have fallen way down the pecking order at Parkhead.
When asked if Celtic may feel pressured to hold on to out of favour players just to meet their quota, Hutton told Football Insider: “Probably a little bit.
“I remember when I was breaking through it was difficult because they were always buying players because they needed silverware, they needed to win games as soon as possible.
“But the number one thing is that there has to be a pathway to the first team. If there is not there is no point having the youth side of it.
“You want them to break through not just because you need a certain number, you want them to be good enough to be going on and challenging.
“That is the big thing for Celtic and Rangers moving forward. But you want to see homegrown players come through because they deserve it, not just because they are there to make up the numbers.“
In other news, Brighton set sights on Celtic star who’s close friends with Mitoma.