The Youth Interview Introducing... Liam Hughes Hands-on

Celtic Academy star Liam Hughes reaps the benefits from stepping up to first-team training

- Joe Donnelly

SIGNED from Northern Ireland Premier League outfit, Dungannon Swifts in February last year, Liam Hughes has gone from strength to strength between the sticks at Celtic.

Away from Paradise, the 17-year-old goalkeeper has picked up caps at U-17 international level, and despite being on the losing side in last season’s Scottish Youth Cup final, he was easily one of the Hoops’ most stand-out players – with a string of top-class stops, including a second-half penalty save.

Ahead of the start of the reserve side’s season, the View caught up with Hughes to discuss the value of stepping up to senior team training, and working hard to follow in the footsteps of the club’s most prolific Academy graduates.

HOW HAS THE PRE-SEASON REGIME BEEN FOR YOU SO FAR?

It’s been great! I had the chance to step up to first-team training during the first week, when the senior team’s international guys were still out, and that was a really good experience for me. The step up is always going to be challenging, but that’s what you want and what you expect at a club

TRAINING WITH THE SQUAD’S MOST EXPERIENCED PLAYERS, THE LIKES OF SCOTT BROWN AND CRAIG GORDON, MUST BE INVALUABLE FROM A DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE.