Celtic manager Neil Lennon has confirmed that midfielder Ewan Henderson could be given his sixth first team appearance for the club when the Hoops face Hearts this weekend.
The two clubs meet twice in the space of six days this month, with Sunday’s league match followed by the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park a week on Saturday.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Lennon confirmed that he is looking to rest key players ahead of next weekend’s final by allowing the likes of Henderson, who has featured four times this season and five in total, and 16-year-old Karamoko Dembele to get game time.
“Karamoko Dembele is a possibility for Sunday. He’s training with the squad this week, as is Ewan Henderson,” the manager said. ”
“We’ve got boys that are carrying knocks and we don’t feel the need to risk them ahead of the Cup Final. Kieran Tierney and James Forrest won’t be involved at the weekend but both should be fit for the cup final.”
OPINION
With Celtic having already wrapped up the league title, Lennon is exactly right to give some of his younger players a crack at first-team action. While the Hoops will be looking to end their Premiership season on a high note, the likes of Demble and Henderson will not – if picked – face the same kind of scrutiny and criticism that the Celtic players came in for last weekend. The pressure is all but off for Celtic in the league and it is a chance for these younger players to show what they are all about. You never know, if they play well, there is a real possibility that whoever is in charge in a couple of months time uses pre-season to give them more game time. But for now, the focus is well and truly on completing the ‘treble treble’, and rightly so. Sunday’s meeting against Hearts is nothing but a dead rubber to most.