[ad_pod ]

Brendan Rodgers has told Armstrong Oko-Flex and Karamoko Dembele that age won’t hold them back from getting first team action.

On Sunday at Kilmarnock the former Arsenal kid was named as a substitute while Dembele will be eligible for reserve and first team action from Saturday when he celebrates his 16th birthday.

Rodgers started his coaching career at the bottom rung in the Reading Academy and has always shown an appreciation for emerging talent, leaving the door open to top team action.

Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Kieran Tierney have been central to his success at Celtic with Rodgers keen to get the next batch of young players fully involved in his squad.

Speaking to Celtic TV on Monday night, the Hoops boss said…

“Armstrong is still very young, he is only 16 but it’s important for the young players in the reserves to get a sense of what it is like to be in and around the first team.

“He still has a long way to go but he has come in and adapted. He has moved up from London, taken his life up here and there is always that transition period.

“Since the turn of the year he has looked very strong, we’ve had really good feedback from the guys working with the reserve team, Tommy (McIntyre) and Damien (Duff). That gives him a little taste of what it is like and he’s obviously been training with us.

“Young players all want to play for the first team but before that you’ve got to train with the first team. You have to have their intensity, you have to work and press then earn your right to be in the first team.

“It was nice for him to be on the bench, to sample it, to stay concentrated in case he was asked to come on and hopefully yesterday (Sunday) gave him extra motivation and commitment to one day being a first team player.”

With Dembele brought into the discussion Rodgers added: “Throughout my career as a coach, I’ve always shown that [if you are good enough you are old enough]. There has always been a number of young players in my teams, at 17, at 18 but that is up to them.

“Age is no barrier for me, if they have the qualities. Having come through youth development myself, I was 15 years as a youth coach, so I understand it.

“The players aren’t fully ready but you have to give them that little taste, especially if they are doing well but there comes a point where they continue to do well and if they don’t get the opportunity to do well it can go the other way for them.

“It is just about timing but they are big talents. They have to do well in the reserves and in training, at some point their chance will come later.”

While Oko-Flex was on the bench at Kilmarnock Stephen Welsh, Robbie Deas, Daniel Church, Kerr McInroy, Ewan Henderson and Jack Aitchison were on duty with Scotland’s u-19 squad at a training camp in Spain.

Celtic are back in Reserve League action on March 5 when they are away to Dundee.