Hyped prospect credits former Celtic boss for award progress

As the nominations for PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year and Manager of the Year hits the headlines, Matt O’Riley is Celtic’s only nominee in the end-of-year awards.

Brendan Rodgers was overlooked despite still being in the hunt for a league and cup double and neither of the other members of the Hoops first team or Celtic’s youngsters were given a look in.

But to be fair, the young Celtic players just didn’t get enough of a look in this season so that was to be expected.

The PFA announced their nominees for Young Player of the Year and whilst there were no Celtic names in there, young Dundee prospect, Lyall Cameron, namechecked a former Hoops gaffer as the reason he got his big break in football.

Gordon Strachan was ‘really important’ in Cameron’s Dundee career

21-year-old Cameron has made 32 appearances for Dundee as he helped the Taysiders into the Scottish Premiership’s top six and contend for the final European spot of the season. [Transfermarkt]

The youngster admitted that he had enrolled in university to study economics as his loan move to Peterhead turned sour and Dundee didn’t want him back as he headed into the final year of his contract.

Seemingly going nowhere, an intervention from former Celtic boss, Gordon Strachan, changed all that.

Cameron said [The Herald], “Gordon Strachan has been really big in my career to be fair. He is the one that has always believed in me and pushed for me to get Games at Dundee so him being at Dundee and being a big figure there has been really important.

“I might not have been here without him to be honest.”

I think it’s fair to say that Strachan effectively saved the Scotland u21 international’s career and this nomination is a credit to both the former Celtic boss and the youngster for sticking with it and working hard.

Because without young Cameron’s undoubted talent and Strachan’s guidance, we could very well have lost a very good prospect that has a bright future in the Game not just for Dundee but also possibly his country.