Celtic full-back Colby Donovan is the current poster boy for the pathway from the B team to the first-team at Parkhead with his emergence this season.
Injuries to Alistair Johnston and Anthony Ralston convinced Brendan Rodgers to bring the 19-year-old right-back into the senior squad to fill in for several matches.
The Scotland U21 international started against Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Red Star Belgrade, and Braga before being left out of the matchday squad for the 3-2 win over Motherwell last time out.
Whilst he may not have been too pleased with dropping out of the squad last weekend in the Scottish Premiership, Donovan was delighted after he made his full European debut against Red Star Belgrade.
His appearances across all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign do show that Rodgers is prepared to bring through young players if they are ready and there is a space in the team to play them.
One position that the head coach could look to fill by utilising the B team is the number six position, as he starts to look to life beyond captain Callum McGregor.
Why Celtic may need to replace Callum McGregor
At the age of 32, the former Scotland international is not yet at the retirement stage or the point where Celtic have to worry about him becoming unplayable.
However, there have been some concerning performances at the start of this season that suggest that the veteran central midfielder’s influence on the team may be waning.
The left-footed star has never been the most powerful or intense player out of possession, due to his relaxed and composed nature in the number six position, but that has worked to his detriment this season.
Appearances
35
7
Goals
8
0
Assists
3
0
Ground duel success rate
54%
46%
Fouls committed
0.4
1.6
Fouls won
0.6
0.4
As you can see in the table above, McGregor’s physical output is down in comparison to the 2024/25 campaign in the Premiership, losing the majority of his ground duels and committing four times as many fouls per match on average.
This suggests that the captain has been a little off the pace in the league this term, as opposition players have been sharper than him to win duels and force him into committing fouls on them, whilst he has not provided as much of a threat in front of goal at the other end of the pitch.
The Scottish midfielder has also lost 64% of his duels in the first two outings in the Europa League, per Sofascore, losing 62% of his ground duels and 100% of his aerial battles.
With this in mind, Rodgers may start to think about what life will look like once McGregor is not a guaranteed starter, whilst also considering adding competition for his place.
In The Pipeline
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One option could be to look to the academy to find a long-term replacement for the captain, as well as competition for his position in the short-term.
19-year-old Jude Bonnar, who is on loan at Ayr United, may be a player supporters would earmark as a McGregor successor from the youth team, but he has played on the wing and as an attack-minded midfielder, which may not suit the number six role.
The Celtic youngster who could replace Callum McGregor
Samuel Isiguzo, unlike Bonnar, has experience playing as a defender and as a central midfielder, per Transfermarkt, which may put him in a better place to develop into a holding midfielder or the Hoops.The 18-year-old star is typically deployed in a central midfield position, where McGregor plays, and has caught the eye in the early stages of the 2025/26 campaign.
Isiguzo, who can play in defence, as a wide midfielder, or as a central midfielder, has scored five goals and provided one assist in 16 appearances in all competitions for the academy this term, per Transfermarkt.
The teenage talent, who scored four goals in 13 outings in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign, has shown that he has a knack for scoring goals from a midfield position, as McGregor did last season with his eight-goal haul in the Premiership.
Isiguzo, who was praised for his “dangerous” play by journalist Josh McCafferty, could also be the heir to McGregor’s position in the team because of his leadership skills.
The 18-year-old starlet has captained the B team in 13 of his 16 appearances this season, which shows that he is a respected leader at youth level who can lead by example and rally the troops, as the current first-team captain does.
Of course, there is a difference between captaining a youth team in front of a small crowd, if any crowd at all, and captaining Celtic on European nights with thousands of fans in attendance, but it does show that Isiguzo has the leadership potential.
With Bonnar out on loan and potentially suiting a number eight role more, the Scottish youngster could be the player to look to give McGregor some competition for his place this season.
Academy graduates used
2
3
Academy graduate appearances
5
4
Academy graduate starts
0
0
Academy graduate minutes
90
25
As you can see in the table above, Rodgers has not given loads of opportunities to young players in recent seasons, but Donovan’s emergence in recent weeks shows that the manager is not completely against bringing through academy talent.
Therefore, Isiguzo could be an interesting player to watch out for in the coming months if the Hoops end up in a position where they feel that McGregor needs a rest, as the B team star could step in as a natural replacement.