Celtic have produced a number of impressive academy graduates through their youth set-up in Glasgow over the years, with some currently playing for the first-team and others excelling elsewhere in Europe.
Who are Celtic's most valuable academy graduates?
The Hoops currently have the likes of Callum McGregor, Anthony Ralston, and James Forrest, who all came through the ranks at Parkhead, in Brendan Rodgers' squad.
Celtic's top-five most valuable graduates:
Player
Market value
Kieran Tierney
£21.5m
Aaron Hickey
£21.5m
Callum McGregor
£7.3m
Jack Hendry
£2.5m
Ben Doak
£2.5m
Valuations via Transfermartk.
Supporters may be wondering who the next starlet to breakthrough into the senior side will be and one player who could have the potential to be that is B team central midfielder Mackenzie Carse.
Some may have thought that Rocco Vata would be the one to establish himself within the first-team but the Ireland youth international is out of contract next summer and is seemingly poised to depart on a free transfer.
Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph claimed earlier this year that there are no plans to extend his deal in Glasgow and that the management team changed their stance on him after initially calling him up to the senior set-up, which has left the teen midfielder in limbo.
This could open up the door for another academy gem – Carse – to burst onto the scene as Vata appears to be on his way out of the Scottish giants.
How old is Carse?
He is a 19-year-old central midfielder who does not turn 20 until February of next year and is a current Scotland U19 international with 11 caps to his name to date.
The young ace is a versatile midfield player who is capable of playing in a central or defensive role in the middle of the park, which could make him Callum McGregor 2.0 for Celtic.
Carse can play in a more reserved, number six, role but has also showcased his ability to make an impact at the top end of the pitch with goal contributions over the last 12 months or so.
He made 38 appearances for the B team and U19 side combined throughout the 2022/23 campaign and contributed with three goals and three assists. This included three goals and two assists in 31 Lowland League outings and one assist in five UEFA Youth League outings.
B team head coach Darren O'Dea stated that the impressive youngster was in "really good form" back in February of this year and that comment indicates that the manager has been very pleased with the 19-year-old talent's performances at youth level.
Carse has carried on his excellent form into the current campaign with four goals in nine games for the B team so far. This includes four goals in eight Lowland League clashes, which shows that the Scottish dynamo has the potential to score goals from a midfield position.
How many goals has Callum McGregor scored for Celtic?
The Hoops skipper came up through the academy system at Parkhead and has scored 62 goals in 424 matches in all competitions for the club to date.
McGregor made his breakthrough at first-team level during the 2014/15 campaign as he scored two goals in 17 Scottish Premiership outings after a loan spell in England with Notts County.
The Scottish whiz had showcased his goalscoring potential during his time in League One with the English side as the talented maestro racked up an impressive 12 goals in 37 outings.
Last season, the 30-year-old wizard averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.07 across 31 Premiership matches for Celtic and contributed with four goals and one assist from midfield. He also offered a reliable defensive presence with 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game and a pass completion rate of 92%, as per Sofascore.
In total, the experienced ace, who can play as a number eight or in a defensive role in midfield, has scored 38 goals in 257 league games for the Hoops. This works out as one strike every 6.76 matches on average, which shows that he provides a goal threat on a semi-regular basis.
Carse, however, has scored seven goals in 43 matches for the B team in all competitions to date, which is an average of one goal every 6.14 games.
Is Carse similar to McGregor?
This suggests that the academy gem, who plays in similar positions to the first-team star, has the potential to offer a similar level of attacking quality to McGregor if he can translate his performers over to a senior setting over the years to come under Rodgers.
Therefore, they could be similar in playstyle as they are both central midfielders who can also be deployed in a defensive role and carry the ability to chip in with goals, despite not being regular goalscorers who are likely to hit double figures over the course of a campaign.
Carse could also be McGregor 2.0 for Rodgers in terms of the leadership qualities that he is able to bring on and off the pitch for the Hoops.
The current first-team star has been the club's captain since Ange Postecoglou arrived at Parkhead in the summer of 2021 and has been a leader on the field for the Scottish giants for just over two years now, which means that his eventual replacement could need to replace his physical and mental skills.
Carse, who is 11 years younger than McGregor, has showcased his leadership ability with the B team as he has donned the captain's armband on a number of occasions.
The teen whiz has captained his side in five of their nine matches this season and has been given the honour of doing the same for his country in four of his last five U19 appearances for Scotland.
This shows that his coaches at club and international level see him as a leader among his peers at youth level, which suggests that the potential is there for him to be a future captain at Celtic if he can carry those qualities over to the first-team.
Therefore, Rodgers could unearth McGregor 2.0 by offering Carse senior opportunities over the months and years to come as the aforementioned evidence indicates that there is a possible star to be unearthed from the academy set-up.