Highly-rated Northern Ireland U17 goalkeeper Kai McLean is being tipped for a bright future after signing a three-year contract with Glasgow Celtic.
McLean, who joined the Old Firm club from Motherwell four years ago, was recently on the radar of Chelsea and a host of other English clubs.
But the Scotland-born teenager, who qualifies for Northern Ireland through his parents, has committed his immediate future to Celtic Park.
It is a sign of McLean’s growing reputation that the Scottish Premiership club has moved swiftly to reward the 16-year-old with a long term, professional deal.
McLean was first introduced to the Northern Ireland set-up in 2018 when he was part of an U15s squad that finished fifth out of 24 teams at a tournament in Rotterdam.
He made his Northern Ireland U17 debut in the first half of last month’s 6-0 friendly defeat to England where he kept a clean sheet and made a string of eye-catching saves.
His man of the match display for Gerard Lyttle's side at St George’s Park - the England senior team’s training facility - alerted a number of cross channel clubs, including Premier League giants Chelsea.
But Celtic, who rate McLean highly after nurturing his talent through the club’s Academy system, have tied the youngster down to a lengthy deal.
The towering teenager has a commanding presence, is an accomplished shot stopper and is also comfortable with the ball at his feet, a must in the modern game.
