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It is safe to say that Celtic have a pretty strong squad at this point of time. That also means though that there are a number of players who struggle to get into Ange Postecoglou’s team ahead of those in front of them in the pecking order. The situation is especially difficult when it comes to youngsters, who need to play at the senior level in order to continue their development.
A spell out on loan might be the best solution for them, and one such Celtic youngster who has headed out on loan is Adam Montgomery.
Montgomery had in fact played quite a bit of first-team football at Celtic last season as well but it is quite clear that he is not a starter. Thus, sending him out on loan to St Johnstone made sense, and it has worked out quite well for him.
According to stats from Transfermarkt, Montgomery has made 16 appearances this season for St Johnstone, scoring one goal and providing three assists. And it looks like Callum Davidson wants to keep him at the club beyond January.
Rival manager wants Celtic loanee to stay
Montgomery’s current loan with St Johnstone will run out in January but Davidson is hoping that the club can get it extended till the end of the season. As reported by The Courier, the manager said:
"“I wouldn’t rule it out is probably the best phrase to use.“Adam has performed well, which I’m really pleased about. He’s got better and better.“We’ve got Callum (Booth) coming back – hopefully he’ll play his first 90 minutes (in a midweek closed-doors game) and we’ve got Tony (Gallacher) back as well.“So we are quite strong in the area.“We need to assess everything, see where we are with each player and make a decision after that – and obviously speak to Celtic because it might be a ‘no’ anyway.”"
Davidson further added about Montgomery:
"“Adam’s managed to pick himself for the team because of his performances. It’s not me playing him because he’s a Celtic player.“His attitude in training and around the place has been first class. The young man has got a big future. Hopefully he’ll go far.“There’s obviously a conversation we’ll need to have. We haven’t spoken to them before the game this week.“It’s something we can speak about after and see where we are about it.”"
Thus, it is safe to say that Montgomery has managed to impress Davidson. And with him getting regular playing time at St Johnstone, it might be best to extend his stay there till the end of the campaign.
At the same time, it is also important that his good loan spell at St Johnstone converts to more chances at Celtic when he returns. The club do not have a good record recently when it comes to turning their youth stars into first-team regulars.