THERE is a pathway to Paradise for the young players coming through the Celtic Youth Academy, and the example of Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Mikey Johnston, and Kieran Tierney is one that should be followed by the aspiring Celts of the future.

Tierney left the club this week for Arsenal after graduating from the Celtic Academy and going on to play 170 times for the Hoops over the past four years.

And speaking today at Lennoxtown, Neil Lennon said: “I hope Kieran does brilliantly and that will reflect well on what we’re doing here

“It’s a fantastic example of the work that’s done behind the scenes here, not just at Academy level but development coaches, the first-team coaches, and the way the club is hell-bent on developing their own.

“We take a huge amount of pride in home-grown players coming through, and Kieran’s the latest one. Obviously, James Forrest and Callum McGregor, and now Mikey Johnston as well, are making a significant contribution in the first-team, and that shows the younger ones that there is a pathway here.

“If you do the right things and you protect your talent, and if we recognise that the talent is there, there is a real ambition here and a real opportunity to play first-team football on a regular basis.

“It’s a very difficult thing to do, to produce a quality, long-term first-team player, but we’ve done that over the last 10-15 years very, very well compared to a lot of other clubs.”

The move, of course, has upset supporters who were obviously keen for the defender to remain at Celtic Park, and the manager recognises their feelings, but also appreciates that the Hoops have to move on, as they have done in the past when players have come to the end of their days at the club.

He said: “I can understand that point of view because they’re Celtic fans and all they see is Celtic, and with Kieran being such a fervent supporter of the club, they might find it difficult to comprehend why he would want to leave Celtic.

“But as he’s alluded to himself, he’s had a great time of it here and probably achieved everything that he’s wanted to achieve, and he’s just accepting a new challenge, a professional challenge as well as a personal challenge in his life as well.”

He added: “It’s understandable. It’s going to hurt us because we’re losing a very good player. These things crop up now and again in football. All teams sell good players eventually, and Kieran’s no different in that regard. It was protracted because we couldn’t agree a deal, but the deal’s done now and he goes with our best wishes.”

Neil Lennon: Pathway talent success reflects on the work Celtic do