According to claims from Football Insider, as cited by Birmingham Live, reigning Scottish champions Celtic have joined the race to sign teenage defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who currently plies his trade with Carlisle United in the League Two.
Aston Villa have also been credited with an interest in the 17-year-old centre-back, who has burst on to the scene in the fourth tier this term (Football Insider h/t Birmingham Live).
Born in Carlisle, Branthwaite rose through the youth ranks of his hometown club and caught the eye with his rapid development before being promoted to the first-team set up in the previous campaign.
Cumbrians manager Steven Pressley named him on the substitute’s bench on eight occasions throughout the 2018-19 season without the teenager entering the field of play. He had to wait for 13 games in the ongoing campaign before finally earning his senior professional bow for his boyhood club.
The long wait has proven to be worth it for Branthwaite, who has grabbed his opportunities with both hands to establish himself as a regular fixture for Carlisle United.
Despite the fact that the club are languishing in the bottom half of the table in the fourth-tier, the academy prospect has caught the eye with his abrupt emergence on to the scene.
Meanwhile, as far as Celtic are concerned, Jarrad Branthwaite certainly seems like a player with loads of potential.
Besides spending millions of pounds in the summer to complete deals for several accomplished professionals, the Hoops have also grabbed the headlines with their youth recruitment drive.
Celtic beat off competition from a number of top English clubs to sign Bolton prodigy Luca Connell. The likes of Jonathan Afolabi, Jeremie Frimpong and Stephen O’Connor all come through the door from Southampton, Man City and Man United respectively.
That Frimpong has already featured as a starter in several Scottish Premiership games does indicate Neil Lennon’s willingness to rely on youngsters.
To that end, Branthwaite, who is already a giant in the making at 6ft 4in, is capable of being the next youngster to make his mark at Parkhead.
All in all, Celtic joining the race for the League Two starlet certainly strikes the right chords and they could have a gem on their hands in the years to come.
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