Brendan Rodgers unleashed several starlet's along with some fringe players as Celtic took on Sligo Rovers on Wednesday night.
The Scottish champions came from behind to triumph 3-2 against the League of Ireland side thanks to Luis Palma's hat-trick.
It looked like it was going to be a disappointing result on Irish soil until two 17-year-olds provided tidy assists to set up Palma in the dying moments of the second half.
Sean McArdle’s teasing delivery found the Honduran internationalist, who has struggled to make an impact for the first team this season, at the back post. Then Samuel Isiguzo teed up Palma to complete a valiant comeback.
It's notoriously tough to break into the Celtic's senior squad from the youth academy, and a subject that often gets raised among supporters. It's even tougher when around £30million is spent on new additions during the summer transfer window.
That's why when an opportunity does arise, it's so crucial to take it.
Rodgers reflected on the performances of his youth star's in the recent friendly and revealed what areas he would like many of them to work on.
“A lot of them need to improve on that aspect [physicality]," the Celtic manager explained. “They need to have more running power and get into contention more.
“They have talent with the ball, but it’s nowhere near enough.”
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It wasn't all negatives from the Hoops boss as he went on to state that some players, who were afforded a rare chance to showcase their all-round talents, did catch his eye.
He continued: “It’s nice for them to feel that [tempo] and play out there in front of a crowd and play with that personality that you need to play for Celtic. Some of them did really well.”
