Ryan Darby 
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has dropped a hint that promising youngsters Armstrong Okoflex and Karamoko Dembele could see first-team action in the near future.
The pair are among the highest rated young prospects at the club and are already being tipped for big things.
Dembele has been a name on everybody’s lips for a while after breaking into the reserve set-up at such a young age.
However, a lot of excitement has surrounded Okoflex in recent months after he made the move from Arsenal.
He was named on the substitutes bench against Kilmarnock on Sunday, a sign of how highly he is rated.
Dembele will also be available for the first-team when he turns 16 later this month.
Speaking about their futures to Celtic TV, Rodgers dropped a clear hint that their young age will not hold them back.
Armstrong is still very young, he is only 16 but it’s important for the young players in the reserves to get a sense of what it is like to be in and around the first team.
He still has a long way to go but he has come in and adapted. He has moved up from London, taken his life up here and there is always that transition period.
Since the turn of the year he has looked very strong, we’ve had really good feedback from the guys working with the reserve team, Tommy (McIntyre) and Damien (Duff). That gives him a little taste of what it is like and he’s obviously been training with us.
Young players all want to play for the first team but before that you’ve got to train with the first team. You have to have their intensity, you have to work and press then earn your right to be in the first team.
It was nice for him to be on the bench, to sample it, to stay concentrated in case he was asked to come on and hopefully yesterday (Sunday) gave him extra motivation and commitment to one day being a first team player.
