Francis Turley has reacted to his debut in the closing stages of the win over St Mirren. The 18-year-old replaced Reo Hatate in the final three minutes in Paisley after Brendan Rodgers’ side were already 3-0 up.
After goals from skipper Callum McGregor, Hatate and Alistair Johnston, Celtic returned to the top of the Premiership table. This allowed Turley to come onto the pitch in a moment that he referred to as a ‘Dream come true’.
Dream come true 🍀 pic.twitter.com/vL92TWMp6G
— Francis Turley (@TurleyFrancis) August 25, 2024
The Irishman was included ahead of Tomoki Iwata, suggesting that the manager rates the youngster highly. It remains to be seen whether he benefits from Brendan’s wish to have the talented youngsters in and around the first team. Although, the club are looking to sign two midfielders to compensate for Matt O’Riley. Arne Engels and Mateusz Bogusz have been heavily linked with a move to the club in the coming days.
Turley could benefit from Daniel Kelly’s misjudged decision to swap Celtic for EFL Championship side Millwall. The young midfielder might be best placed to be the next breakthrough star after making a brief appearance for the first team.
