Pathway To Paradise

Ewan Henderson is aiming to use the Development Squad’s hectic schedule of games as a springboard to the first-team squad

- Tony Connelly

BREAKING into the Celtic first-team squad is a huge challenge for any young player and that’s without having to manage a packed schedule in the SPFL Development League. But Ewan Henderson believes the dizzying number of games the Development Squad have over the next couple of months could be the springboard he’s looking for to get into Brendan Rodgers’ squad.

The Hoops midfielder, who turned 18 last week, is approaching the end of his first season in Tommy McIntyre’s Development Squad after moving up from the Under-17s in the summer.

It’s been a remarkable journey so far for Henderson who, at 17-years-old, has already featured in the Celtic first-team when he made the bench for a home game against Hibernian at the end of September.

He has yet to make his first-team debut but having been in and around the senior squad on a few occasions this season has given him an insight into what it will take to make the leap.

“During the recent international break we al trained with the first-team which was really good,” Henderson told the Celtic View. “We had some players away with the Scotland Under-1 so both teams were depleted in numbers, and when that happens we all train together.