Rocco Vata was handed his Celtic first team debut in the Hoops 4-0 victory over Hibernian on Wednesday.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou included the 17-year-old in his squad to face Lee Johnson’s side on the back of some scintillating showings for the 'B' team in Scotland's Lowland League and the UEFA Youth League, before opting to introduce him in place of Matt O’Riley for the final 10 minutes against Hibs. But his cameo should come as no surprise with Italian outlet Tuttomercato claiming Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are among the European superpowers to 'observing’ the Irish youth international at Easter Road, alongside city rivals AC and Juventus.
Postecoglou has been an advocate of showing players there’s clear career progression at Parkhead and spoke earlier in the season about his plans to integrate Vata and his fellow Celtic youngsters into the first team. He said: "It is about having a strategy in place. With the 'B' team, we are really happy with the progress of a number of players. Stephen McManus and Darren O'Dea are doing a great job.
“I am closely linked to them and I follow their progress. All that we can do is provide that pathway. I know we've lost a few but we have Anthony Ralston, Callum McGregor and James Forrest.
"They are living, breathing examples of if you stay at this football club, you can still have a pretty good career. It's not like we don't have a formula. You deal with every case individually and this year we have closely aligned the 'B' team with the first-team. I see them everyday and I am aware of the progress they are all making."
Record Sport takes a closer look at Celtic's latest prodigy after his impressive start in the Scottish Premiership.
Player background
At 17 years eight months and 10 days, Vata became the ninth youngest player to play for the Celtic. He is the son of former Hoops defender and Albanian international Rudi Vata and has been capped by Republic of Ireland up to U19s level, despite being born in Glasgow.
Playing predominantly as an attacking midfielder, Vata has been a standout in the Lowland League this season with the Hoops ‘B’ team, scoring eight times and providing one assist from 14 appearances. He has been part of the academy at Lennoxtown since the age of seven and has admitted Celtic have 'always been in his heart' due to his father's history with the club.
Despite his recent emergence to Postecoglou's plans, Vata has already built up quite the showreel with a string of spectacular goals, from mazy runs and pinpoint crosses, to a lethal right foot.
Popular website Football Talent Scout have also labelled him as one of the top 40 players born in 2005 to watch out for in the coming years, which could see pound signs in the eyes of the Parkhead board.
What the fans are saying
Many punters took to social media to express their delight at Vata's breakthrough into the first team since the winter break.
A first wrote: "Terrific to see Rocco Vata on the park tonight."
While another said: "Rocco Vata makes his competitive Celtic debut at 17 after making progress with the B team, then into the senior squad over the winter break. Great moment for him and his family."
And a third explained an interesting stat by stating: "Rudi Vata and Rocco Vata are now the 16th father & son duo to play in the Scottish Premiership!"
What the coaches are saying
Hoops coach O'Dea has watched Vata right through his journey at Celtic and spoke in February this year of the teenager's potential. He reckons it'll take him to the top.
O'Dea explained: “I’ve known Rocco for a while, naturally I’ve been with the U18s for the last two seasons so he’s someone I know really well.
"He was in the school programme and is someone I’ve brought up with the U18s and played in a couple of games. The most impressive thing about him is probably his mentality, his attitude to the game.
“We had a pre-season friendly this year that didn’t go particularly well but he’s someone that has a killer attitude that never stops, he has a fantastic ability to beat people and create chances.
"On top of that he’s someone who has a really strong mind so he’s someone who’s very young and needs to be managed well. But he’s going in the right direction, it’s a case of supporting him.
"I’m confident to say that if he reaches his full potential which is our goal as a staff to do that, that potential could take him to the top, to be fair.”
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