Donald Park has recalled an ear-bashing he received from Motherwell youth-coach and BT Pundit Stephen Craigan after he left David Turnbull out of his Scotland Under 19 side for a match – but reckons that he knew all along that Celtic’s £3.25m summer signing was always destined to go to the top in the game.
Park was in charge of the Scotland Under 19s in season 2017/18 and opted for Aberdeen’s Lewis Ferguson for a European Qualifier despite being mightily impressed by the Motherwell youth in training – and Craigan was NOT happy.
Park tells the story, as reported by Glasgow Times: “David was with one of the under-19 teams that I took and he did great,” he said. “But it was between David and Lewis Ferguson for a game and I played Lewis. Stephen Craigan, his youth coach at Motherwell, came on the phone to me and gave me dog’s abuse.
“I did play him in a couple of games. The times I had him he did really well. He can get forward and score goals which is a real plus. He has done absolutely fantastic since. But so has Lewis of course.”
Park continued: “David can play as a No10, as an attacking midfield player, and he has the intelligence to go and play a little bit deeper as well. But he is very forward-thinking. He makes well-timed runs and can finish. He has got attributes in attack.
“It’s great when young Scottish players get the opportunity to play and progress at a big club like Celtic and it’s been good to see him do well since breaking into the side.
“It is difficult for a lad of his age to go to a club like that and he has had to bide his time. But he has flourished since making the breakthrough. That augurs well for the future.”
Ironically enough, with a major summer re-shuffle likely to happen at Celtic, Lewis Ferguson is a name that keep cropping up in whispers concerning a potential summer move from cash strapped Aberdeen who yesterday lost out on bringing former Celtic winger Gary Mackay-Steven back to Pittodrie with Derek McInnes admitting that he will not be able to sign any players in the January window as the financial impact of the covid lockdown bites.
New arrival @Gary__11 will wear the number 1️⃣7️⃣ jersey this season#GMSisGorgie pic.twitter.com/nSQ1PFjNwG
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) January 8, 2021
Mackay-Steven, recently released by New York, instead signed for the Championship side Hearts who lost the Scottish Cup Final to Celtic last moth as the Bhoys completed a world record Quadruple Treble. Here’s David Turnbull with the Scottish Cup…
