Karamoko Dembele has hailed departing Celtic starlet Regan Hendry, calling the former reserve team captain as a “big player”.
The 21-year-old midfielder will not be given a new contract by the Hoops at the end of the season, and will be one of a host of young stars leaving Parkhead at the end of the season, as reported by the Scottish Sun.
And promising teenager Dembele, who could make his first team debut against Hearts on Sunday, has been quick to sing his praises.
Writing on Instagram in a heartfelt post, Dembele said: “Good luck big bro.
“Big player. All the best big man.”
OPINION
There are clearly changes afoot at Parkhead, and for Hendry to be departing speaks volumes as to the quality of the young players at the Hoops’ disposal. Ordinarily, you would expect a player of Hendry’s talent to be making the step up to the first team, but the fact that he is instead being let go shows just how rich the options at Neil Lennon’s disposal are. No doubt there will be a host of clubs willing to give him his break in the senior game, but for now, he will surely be disappointed to leave the club that he has come the ranks at. As for Dembele, there are rumours that he could be given his debut against Hearts on Sunday. That is remarkable, and shows just how good this lad could be. At just 16 years old, born in 2003, Dembele is arguably the most exciting young talent to come out of the Scottish game in quite some time, and if he can live up to the hype, he could go on to become a genuine world class talent.