Jeremie Frimpong is aiming for the very top after shining on his Celtic debut.
The defender was named man of the match after coming into the side for Wednesday’s 5-0 Betfred Cup win over Partick Thistle.
The 18-year-old signed from Manchester City on the final day of the transfer window and has propelled himself into Neil Lennon’s plans.
“It was amazing, a dream come true,” the Dutch full-back said. “It was my first professional game and the fans – I love them already. To hear them when I came off was amazing.
“I’ve been trying to make a good impression and I found out two or three days ago I was starting. I played well and now I have to keep that going.
“I’m very grateful that the manager gave me a chance. It’s a dream come true to play for Celtic. It’s the biggest club in Scotland so it’s amazing.
“My goal was to play for the first team. I thought I was ready and I proved to the manager I was ready. He gave me a chance and hopefully I can do more.
“I play football because I want to be the best right-back and I’m going to prove that.
“You have to play with confidence if you want to be a footballer. If you want to be the best you have to play with confidence. Obviously don’t be cocky but just go out there and play your game.
“You can’t be nervous in front of these fans. They want you to show what you can do for the team and hopefully I can do that.
“I’ve been working hard in training and I play football to prove people wrong and show them what I’ve got. That’s what I’ve been doing and I’m going to keep doing that.”
Lennon admitted Frimpong had forced his way into his thoughts for future games.
“He is battling for a first-team place, no question,” the Celtic boss said.
“You can’t stop the talent at times. As soon as he came in we brought him into first-team training and he has excelled and we are excited about him.
“Obviously we don’t want to get carried away. He has a lot of stature, personality and strength and is quite deceptive. It’s one game but we feel this kid could be a really good player here. I thought he was very good, very infectious.”
Meanwhile, another Celtic full-back is out for the season. Calvin Miller, who played for Dundee and Ayr on loan last term, posted a photograph of himself in hospital on Instagram.
The 21-year-old wrote: “Gutted to be out for the rest of the season but surgery went well and I’ll be back stronger.”
