Karamoko Dembele says it's been difficult dealing with the hype that came with him at Celtic as he opens up on his exit from Parkhead.
The 19-year-old winger has signed a contract with French Ligue 1 club Stade Brestois 29 after his deal in green and white expired. Dembele was hailed as one of Europe's most exciting teenagers in his early teens after appearing in an U-20s match at the age of 13. That only translated into 10 senior appearances for Celtic though and his last campaign was marred by injury.
After suffering an injury in pre-season, the England youth international spent the first half of the campaign returning to fitness before struggling to make an impact in boss Ange Postecoglou's plans. Last term saw him play just two games and 20 minutes of senior football although he did feature for the club's youth squads. There is hope for the future though.
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Speaking to French publication Ouest-France, the former Parkhead starlet has revealed that Postecoglou wasn't a huge fan of his playing style and that there are some things that have to remain unsaid about his Glasgow stint.
But it was an easy decision to choose Stade Brestois 29 as his next club, looking to put behind him the difficulty of dealing with relentless expectation so young.
He said: "It's been very difficult for me. When you play so young, there is lots of pressure. It is what it is. I deal with it well.
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"A lot of reasons I can not say but I think the manager didn't really like the way I played or saw something that was missing in my game.
"But I am here to prove what I can do. I am not sure why it didn't work out. But that is God's plan.
"I am here to play as much football as I can, have fun and do my best. I am actually strong for my size but I don't think size matters in football. You have other qualities to compensate for size. Physicality has never been an issue for me.
"I like the way Stade Brestois 29 play and it is a good league. These are all the factors that came to me picking here. I like entertaining fans and having fun. I like to score goals and do all the things an attacker needs.
"I love the French culture and I watch a lot of French football, the big teams like Marseille and PSG. I have also watched a lot of Stade Brestois 29 so I know a lot about the team."
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