Celtic midfielder Luke McCowan has praised young teammate Sean McArdle after his first two appearances for the first team over the last week.

McArdle came off the bench during Saturday’s 3-1 win over Hibs at Celtic Park and played again on Wednesday night in the 5-1 win away to Aberdeen. He showed good energy and skill in both games, impressing players and coaches.

McCowan was full of praise for the youngster, saying he works hard and is keen to show what he can do. But he also had a laugh at something McArdle did when meeting supporters.

He said: (RecordSport),  “He’s quiet, man. It was funny. He was behind me when we were doing a wee signing session and obviously, you just squibble your name with a number.

“He wrote his full name – his government name – just like on a print.

“I said, ‘Sean, you need to work on that – you could be there for 10 hours walking out of Parkhead!’

“So, no, he’s a quiet boy, but he works hard and you can tell that he’s desperate to come into a Celtic first team and prove himself and do well.

“And if he performs the way he did the other night, I’m sure he’ll have so many more cameos because he’s been a credit to himself to come in and train well. But also, most importantly, he’s done well in the game. He’s been great.”

The joke shows how new McArdle still is to life at a big club like Celtic. While fans just want a quick autograph, McArdle was writing his name out fully like he was back in school. McCowan found it amusing, but said that it shows how seriously McArdle is taking things.

McArdle’s debut came in the 3-1 win over Hibs, when Celtic were already in control. Brendan Rodgers gave him a few minutes at the end of the game, and he didn’t look out of place. He showed energy, tidy passing, and looked like he belonged on the pitch.

Just days later, he got on again in the match at Pittodrie. This time it was a tougher game, but again, he played with confidence and did his job. That’s two appearances in one week for a young player who was with the B team not long ago.