Four Nigerian youngsters feature for Celtic in pre-season opener against Ayr 

Four young players of Nigerian descent were in action for Scottish Premiership champions Celtic in their pre-season opener against Ayr United at Somerset Park on Friday night, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

With several Celtic first teamers yet to report for pre-season training due to their international commitments in the off season, manager Brendan Rodgers named a youthful squad to take on the Scottish Championship outfit.

The Northern Irish tactician handed a starting berth to 18-year-old fullback Josh Dede, while goalkeeper Tobi Oluwayemi (21), central defender Lenny Agbaire (19) and midfielder Bosun Lawal (21) came on for the start of the second half.

Both goals were netted in the first half as  Anton Dowds canceled out Kyogo's opener from the penalty spot. 

With the exception of Lawal, the aforementioned players of Nigerian descent have not made their competitive debuts for Celtic's first team.

Lawal earned rave reviews for his performance against the Honest Men and was praised by Rodgers for his physical attributes and football ability.

Last season, the versatile midfielder enjoyed a successful loan spell at Fleetwood Town, where he netted six goals in 42 appearances in the League One, and was invited to train with Republic of Ireland senior national team in late May. 

Tobi Oluwayemi spent time on loan at Austrian club Admira Wacker in 2023-2024, keeping an impressive five clean sheets in nine league matches.

Dede and Agbaire represented Celtic B in the Lowland League and also played in the UEFA Youth League for the U19s.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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