In the early stages of the season, it looked as though Celtic midfielder David Turnbull was already running on empty.
The Hoops star was a near ever-present figure in the side after signing last season and then didn’t have much time off during the summer after travelling to Euro 2020 with Scotland.
Turnbull didn’t play a single minute for Steve Clarke’s side but his form in recent weeks is proving that he’s surely not far off a regular place in the national team.
He has gone from a tired and lapse figure to the heartbeat of the team again in a matter of weeks. Pundits and supporters are running out of superlatives for the magician who is scoring goals and assisting them on a regular basis.
The Scot found the net ten times last term but he’s already closing in on that number after just nine games of the new campaign.
His form has been simply mesmeric and a first senior hat-trick against St Mirren last weekend capped things off.
That means that Turnbull now has five goals and an assist in his last four appearances.
At the age of just 22, the attacking midfielder has a rather large ceiling and if he keeps performing like this, teams from south of the border will no doubt start dialling the phone.
Fortunately, Celtic have a like-minded player in their Colts team at the moment.
That happens to be 19-year-old Owen Moffat, a teenager who earned minutes in pre-season and is now starring in the Lowland League for Celtic B.
Like Turnbull, Moffat is a tricky goalscoring midfielder. He caught the eye during Ange Postecoglou’s first few weeks in charge and the Australian will no doubt be keeping a close watch on the youngster.
After all, Hoops skipper Callum McGregor already loves what he sees from the curly-haired assassin.
Speaking a few months back after he scored in a friendly, McGregor said: “A mention for young Moffat – his attitude has been first class. I remember watching him at the end of last season, training on the astro himself. Every day they would do finishing and I remember thinking: ‘He’s got a finish on him’.
“I wasn’t surprised when the ball dropped and he half-volleyed it into the net.”
His confidence has soared this season and he’s been finding the net on a regular basis for the B team. The midfielder has performed to such a high level that he bagged five goals in one game when they defeated Vale of Leithen 10-0.
He started the clash on the left-hand side where he scored once but was then moved into a central role and scored four more, dominating the defence in remarkable fashion.
“It was a good performance from the team. In the first half, it was a good five goals and when we went in at half-time Tommy and Darren just told us to keep going, we had to be relentless, and that’s what we did,” Moffat remarked at full-time.
That kind of relentless attitude is bound to fit in with Postecoglou’s style of play. After all, the senior side have been keen to score as many as possible in recent weeks.
They’ve beaten the goalkeeper on 24 occasions in their last six matches and have had a mighty 72 attempts at goal in their last two domestic ties.
Therefore, Moffat would surely make a seamless transition to first-team life once the manager decides to unleash him.
Like Turnbull, the teen has wonderful technical ability and he knows where the back of the net is. He’s certainly one to watch out for in the next few years.
AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano delivers 10-word Celtic transfer update, fans surely concerned…