Ruairi Daly 
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Celtic youngster Joe Thomson admits he may have to go on loan in order to get first-team football despite a new contract offer.
The 19-year-old midfielder featured in pre-season for Ronny Deila’s side but has struggled to make it into the squad since the midfield was bolstered towards the end of the summer.
He was recently part of Scotland’s Under-19’s squad that bowed out of the UEFA Elite Round following their defeat to Belgium and hosts Croatia.
As quoted by the Glasgow Evening Times, Thomson said:
Celtic have a lot of midfielders, which everyone knows. You can’t give up or lose hope.
It might be that I need to go out on loan to get first-team football. I definitely need to be playing some sort of first-team football next season so hopefully someone takes a chance on me.
The manager and John Collins watch the Under-20s play every week and that gives those games an added edge. They’ve even taken the team on a few occasions, which means you can never drop off or allow your standards to slip. They’re taking an interest, which all the lads appreciate.
Thomson made his debut and only first-team appearance to date in August for the Hoops against Dundee United.
He has also made nine appearances for the youth squad in the UEFA Youth League, scoring twice against Ajax back in 2013.
Having spent the last eight years at the club, he may have to move on loan in order to prove his worth and break into the first-team whilst also preventing his development from stagnating.
Eric Knott 
