Colby Donovan Has Arrived—Now Celtic Need to Trust Him

There are certain moments in a young player’s career when everything changes.

For Colby Donovan, Wednesday night against LASK could have been one of them.

Thrown into one of the biggest games of Celtic’s season because of Alistair Johnston’s injury, the 19-year-old didn’t look like a player filling in.

He looked like he belonged.

Celtic ran out 3-0 winners in the Champions League play-off first leg, but among the headline performances from Camilo Durán and Benjamin Nygren, Donovan quietly produced one of the most encouraging displays of the night. His composure, passing, and energy down the right were particularly impressive.

And now the question needs to be asked.

Is Colby Donovan an established first-team member of Celtic’s squad?

I think he should be.

This Isn’t His First Big Performance

The temptation with young players is to treat one good performance as an anomaly.

Donovan has already given us reasons not to.

LASK wasn’t a teenager suddenly thrown into a game with no preparation.

This is a player who has been knocking on the door for some time.

The opportunity has simply arrived earlier than expected.

So Why Send Him Away?

There have been suggestions that Donovan could leave on loan.

That might have made sense before Wednesday.

I’m not sure it does now.

If Celtic genuinely believes he can contribute at first-team level, why send him somewhere else to prove it?

He has just played in a Champions League play-off and looked comfortable.

That’s the level Celtic want their youngsters to reach.

Let him compete with Johnston when the Canadian returns.

He doesn’t have to play 50 games.

He just needs to play enough to continue developing.

And Scotland Surely Isn’t Far Away

The Scotland conversation might sound premature.

But it isn’t ridiculous.

Donovan has already represented Scotland at youth level and has previously been involved with the Under-21s.

If he continues playing regularly for Celtic, the senior conversation will inevitably follow.

A 19-year-old Celtic academy graduate playing Champions League football is exactly the sort of player the national team should be watching.

The key word now is consistency.

One excellent European performance doesn’t earn a senior cap.

But a run of performances like Wednesday’s certainly puts him into the conversation.

Celtic Have to Practice What They Preach

This is the bigger issue.

Celtic regularly talk about developing young players.

They talk about the academy and about pathways.

About producing players capable of representing the first team.

Well, eventually you have to actually trust them.

Donovan is the perfect example.

If a youngster comes through the academy, impresses with the B team, performs when given opportunities, and then produces a performance like that against LASK, what more does he need to do?

At some point, you have to stop calling him a prospect.

He’s a first-team player.

And It Matters for More Than Donovan

There is another reason Celtic need to get this right.

Young players are watching.

Every academy player at Lennoxtown will have seen Donovan start against LASK.

They will have seen him play in front of nearly 60,000 supporters in a Champions League tie.

They will have seen him hold his own.

That sends a powerful message.

It tells the next generation that there genuinely is a pathway at Celtic.

And that matters when the club is trying to convince talented young players to remain in Glasgow rather than seeking opportunities elsewhere.

If academy players see that their route to the first team is blocked by expensive signings and established squad players, eventually they’ll look elsewhere.

If they see Donovan being trusted, they have a reason to believe they can do the same.

Colby Donovan Has Earned His Chance

He’s no longer simply an academy prospect waiting for his chance.

The chance has arrived.

And he took it.

Now Celtic need to trust him.

Because if the club genuinely wants to build a sustainable squad, there is perhaps no better advertisement for the academy than Colby Donovan becoming a genuine first-team regular.