Dane Murray has featured in all of Celtic’s pre-season friendlies, starting all but one. At 22, he is by no means a young player in the modern game, having made his competitive debut four years ago under Ange Postecoglou against Midtjylland in the Champions League Second Round qualifiers.
At the time, 18, he didn’t stand out as a bad defender but suffered with serious injuries after that and fell back down to the B team until last season when he joined Queen’s Park on loan, before being recalled after some stellar displays in the Championship.
Brendan Rodgers brought him off the bench against Aston Villa at Villa Park in the Champions League, a huge moment, one in which he did look shaky, making an error in stoppage time for Morgan Rogers’ third goal to seal a hat-trick, being dispossessed by Ollie Watkins.
Murray looked very calm and composed last night against Sporting Lisbon in a 2-0 friendly win, with a number of Kristoffer Ajer-esque bursts from the back to progress possession, a sign that he is learning how to play in Rodgers’ system. At 6 foot 3, with physical development still to come, next season could be huge for Murray if he can stay fit.
With Celtic appearing more likely to sign a left-footed centre-back, with links to Justin de Haas, Rodgers is a massive fan of Murray and looks to be nurturing him right into the first team setup, something that the club has struggled to do in recent years.
Supporters who have criticised the lack of youngsters breaking through into the first team can’t have it both ways. Murray is clearly, out of all Celtic’s academy graduates, the one player Rodgers sees as ready to start week in, week out if necessary, and that shouldn’t be criticised. Instead, it should be welcomed.
Developing players like Murray into first-team regulars is exactly what the club has been crying out for. If Celtic can blend their domestic dominance with a stronger European presence, having dependable, homegrown depth like Murray could make all the difference.
