It’s always nice to see an academy player making breakthroughs at the first team level at any club and being impressed. That’s why Colby Donovan’s recent appearance at Celtic was fun.
The injuries to Alistair Johnston and Anthony Ralston put Brendan Rogers in a difficult position and faced the possibility of playing the player from a position to cover that position.
Instead of going on a makeshift right back, the Hoops boss has immersed himself in the academy and offered 19-year-old Donovan the opportunity to impress his first team in recent weeks.
The Scottish youth played first team in the first team in matches against Kilmarnock, Paltic Thistle and Red Star’s Belgrade, starting all three matches, becoming an unused replacement for the Hebernian last weekend.
Donovan was not looking for a place on the Scottish giant’s senior outings. For each sofa score, he won five of his six ground duels without being dribbled past one time against Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League.
The teenage fullback wants to kick-on and establish himself on the senior side, as his fellow fullback Kieran Tierney once did when he first broke in.
Celtic’s best Scottish talent since Kieran Tierney
Scotland International entered the first team in the 2014/15 campaign, climbed the academy ranks and played 170 matches for the club in all competitions.
Tierney enjoyed his amazing first spell with Celtic before moving £25 million to Arsenal in the summer of 2019, as shown in the graphics above, winning five Scottish premier titles in the process.
Unfortunately, the quality talent of the Scottish academy has been scarce since the first team first appeared in the Celtic first team over a decade ago.
Most valuable former Celtic Academy star (at least one first team start) | |
|---|---|
player | Market Value |
Kieran Tierney | £7.8 million |
Callum McGregor | £4.3 million |
Mikey Johnston | £2.6 million |
Jack Hendry | £2.1 million |
Liam Henderson | £1.7 million |
Statistics through the Transfer Market | |
As you can see in the table above, Tierney remains the most valuable former academy star to get off to at least one start for the club, but Carm McGregor, who came before the defender, is the only other person worth more than £3 million.
Ben Doak is valued at £14 million per transfer mark, but he only played 25 minutes in place of Hoop before moving to Liverpool.
Mikey Johnston, a Glasgow-born player with 17 caps in Ireland, is the most valuable academy alumnus, as Tierney, who only costs just £2.6 million, is slightly concerned.
Donovan hopes he’s more kick-on and worth it than Johnston, but Celtic may have the biggest talent for Scotland and the academy since lending star Tierney.
Jude Bonner is currently financing for a championship with Air United until the end of the season, gaining significant development and experience that he can bring to Parkhead’s first team in his next term.
Why Bonner may be Celtic’s best Scottish talent since Tierney
As mentioned earlier, the Celts have not been very successful in Scottish talent through the academy system since Tierney to emerge as a regular starter for the first team, but Bonner could change that.
The Hamilton-born starlet made his senior Celtic debut this February by winning a 5-1 Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership, completing a 100% (4/4) pass with a 10-minute cameo per sofa score.
His impressive performance as a B-team offensive central midfielder got a chance on the senior side after returning 10 goals in 55 Roland League matches to match the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns.
Teen Wiz, who was described as a “dangerous” player by author John McGinley, also returned from Loan Spell with AYR and got an assist last month in a Challenge Cup game against Alloa Athletic.
Celtic’s performance at the youth level and his overall form demonstrates that he has built a reputation as a technical, offensive midfielder through his development in Glasgow.
However, the 19-year-old star’s loan to the championship with Ayr United offered him the opportunity to show that there is more to his game in the middle of the park.
Rogers wants a well-balanced midfielder who can provide physicality and technical quality from the ball, as the types of midfielders who regularly play for him, such as Benjamin Nyglen, Leo Hatete and Calm McGregor, show.
Bonner’s last two outings at Isle United’s Scotland Championship show that the multi-purpose star, who can play in the midfield or side, has added a bite to his performance in the middle of the park.
Jude Bonner (Championship) | VS Queen’s Park | vs. Ross County |
|---|---|---|
Min | 28 | 72 |
The ground duel won | 2/3 | 4/8 |
A duel won | 1/1 | 2/4 |
clearance | 2 | 1 |
The past dribbling | 0x | 0x |
Owned | 1x | 10x |
Statistics via Sofascore | ||
As you can see in the table above, the teenage prospect has won six of his 11 ground duels and three of five air duels.
Bonner is now managed by Celtic legend Scott Brown. Scott Brown knows one or two things about what it takes to become Hoop’s No. 8, and appears to have already developed the physical aspects of his game under the former Scotland International.
With Scottish U21 International adding physicality to his technical quality, it was a great decision for the club to lend him to the championship and send him to the championship for the former Ceric captain to manage.
This is why Bonnar, who has so far received one goal and one assist for Ayr United this season, can become the club’s biggest and most valuable Scottish talent since Tierney.
The teenage talent already has technical skills, as shown in the goal record for the B team, but his loan spell shows that he could become a full central midfielder and become an option for Rodgers to integrate into the senior team next season.
He then came to Bonnar, creating consistent performances in the middle, showing that he is the biggest talent he has come through the academy since Tierney.