STEPHEN MCMANUS insists the future is bright for Celtic after seeing his side narrowly lose out in the Scottish Youth Cup final at Hampden.
The Hoops came from two goals behind against Rangers as Cameron Harper and Paul Kennedy netted in quick succession just after the break. But it wasn't enough as Nathan Young-Coombes hit the winner for the Light Blues.
McManus fielded the likes of Barry Coffey, Armstrong Oko-Flex and Karamoko Dembele for the Old Firm clash as boss Neil Lennon and Parkhead legend Danny McGrain watched on from the stands.
It was to prove a disappointing night for the young Celts but Under-18s coach McManus believes there were plenty of positives as his side showcased their talent at the National Stadium.
READ MORE: Celtic 2-3 Rangers: Light Blues kids win Scottish Youth Cup at Hampden
McManus said: “You try and influence them the best you can and best as positive as possible. They’re at that stage in their career where they’ve been brought up through Academies and the managers and coaching staffs of both teams will be here to watch them so the manager can pull them in at any time. It’s important they realise the importance of being resilient.
“The country is full of very good young players. As a nation we’ve always been very critical of how bad we are at everything - we’re one of the best in the world at doing it.
“It’s great for the media, the supporters to come and see these young players who are extremely talented, very hard working but honest and genuine.
“There’s always through any reserve team, any youth team once it gets to that level that it’s harder to break through, but you’ll always get good quality ones.
“Our job as a staff is to try and produce players for our first team, but also educate the young players in life as well and we just pass on our experiences that we’ve gained as former players and now going into the coaching side to try and give them the best possible chance to be professional footballers.”
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