Celtic officially announce return of former player

Despite winning a Premiership and Scottish Cup double last season, it is quite clear that changes are needed at Celtic, not just on the pitch but off it as well. The positive news is that the club seem to be trying to move in that direction as well, even making structural changes in order improve things moving forward.

Darren O’Dea recently took up the role of Celtic’s Professional Player Pathway Manager. And that has ultimately led to the return of a former player in a coaching role.

As reported by the club's official website, Stephen McManus has been confirmed as the B Team Head Coach. And he will be supported by Jonny Hayes, who will take up the role of B Team coach. 

On the other hand, Adam Ashgar has joined Celtic as the lead coach of the U18 team. He previously was Southampton’s Under-21 head coach.

Celtic officially announce return of former player

One major problem that Celtic have faced in recent years is providing a pathway for its youngsters to make the jump to the senior team and establish themselves at the professional level. That is an area that they definitely need to improve upon.

We have seen highly-rated players leave Celtic before they ever make a real impact in the senior team. Ben Doak joined Liverpool a few years back. More recently, Rocco Vata decided to move to Watford. And now, there is speculation about the future of Daniel Kelly as well, whose contract is running down and he has been linked with Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen.

Let's see if things improve for Celtic as they shake things up in the youth ranks. It's about time that someone comes through the academy to become a starter for the Hoops. The last person to do so was Kieran Tierney.