CELTIC’S Academy system has produced a conveyor belt of top players for the senior squad, and that trend looks set to continue based on the young Bhoys breaking into the current first team.

During pre-season, Neil Lennon gave a string of Academy players a chance to feature for the first-team in the friendly fixtures. Academy graduate, Mikey Johnston has been making a claim for a place in the team for the last couple of seasons, and the 20-year-old has moved up a gear this year with some stand-out performances.

“Everyone has been very impressed with Mikey,” Kristoffer Ajer told this week's Celtic View. “He’s been really good throughout the whole of pre-season. We’ve seen what he can do in training, he’s very talented, and he’s doing that in games now as well.

“He’s been working on different things in the gym and those gains are showing. He takes care of his body and is doing everything right to be at his best so I think he’s ready to have a really good season.”

And Ajer believes that the young Celts, as well as the new signings, are coming into a dressing-room with a great team spirit and determination to keep working hard and improving.

“Having the right attitude is quite natural when you come to this dressing room," the Norwegian defender said. "Everyone is extremely professional and helping and encouraging each other. We all work very hard and are in the gym after training to continue the hard work.

“This kind of environment helps us develop our talents, so our attitude is shaped by the environment and we all know we won’t succeed here if we don’t have the right attitude. Everyone is feeling really fit and eager to get down to playing in the big competitive games now.

“All the new Bhoys have been really good since they’ve come in,” Ajer added. “I think this team is an easy group to come into because everyone is so motivated and friendly with each other. They’re really good players and I’m looking forward to seeing more of them.

“They clearly have quality and the right attitude so I know they have the ability to do well here at Celtic."

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Kris Ajer: Academy Bhoys can make an impact in first-team