‘Big part’: Brendan Rodgers says 24-year-old has a great future ahead of him at Celtic

Celtic have been extremely busy over the last few months tying up their key players to new contracts.

Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Callum McGregor have all committed their long-term futures to Celtic this summer. And the latest player to join that list was 24-year-old defender, Anthony Ralston.

Rodgers was speaking about Ralston signing on the dotted line for another four years and said he was delighted to get the contract done.

Rodgers said [Celtic YouTube], “I’m absolutely delighted for Anthony. He was a young player that showed a lot of promise when I was first here. Committed to the team and played some good games.

“Obviously, I think he really kicked on when Ange came in and had that early spell where he played quite a lot and you could see him grow from that.

“So for me and the squad, I’m absolutely delighted. He’s a Celtic guy who’s come through the system here. I just think that when you have those guys like that in your squad, you always get that extra wee bit from them.

“So really, really happy for him. He’s going to be a big part of the future here. And whether he plays or doesn’t play, he’s a very important member of the squad.”

The incredible Celtic career of Anthony Ralston

A product of the Celtic Academy, Ralston made his senior debut in a 2-1 defeat to St Johnstone in 2016. He scored his first goal for the club in a 5-0 League Cup win over Kilmarnock in 2017.

After his infamous appearance in the Champions League against Paris St German where he faced off with Neymar, a knee injury put paid to his season.

He then had two unsuccessful loan spells. One at Dundee United and the other at St Johnstone. Entering the final year of his contract, Ralston looked as if he was heading for the exit door. Until the arrival of Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian gaffer revived Ralston’s flailing career and rejuvenated the defender into a marauding full-back with bundles of energy. He thrived under Ange and became an integral part of his first team as he secured a league and cup double in his maiden season.

Ralston was rewarded with a new contract in 2021 for his early season form and, although his appearances last season were limited due to the form of Josip Juranovic and Alistair Johnston, Ralston still played his part in securing Celtic’s record-breaking eighth domestic Treble.

Ralston has won four league titles, two Scottish Cups and three League Cups.

Now at the club for another four years, Rodgers clearly values Ralston’s contribution to his squad and it will be interesting to see how he features as the season progresses.