Every successful Celtic team needs a spine. It needs players who understand what wearing the green and white means, players who can grow together, develop together and eventually become the faces of a new generation at Paradise.

And looking at the young talent currently emerging at Celtic, I have three names firmly in mind: Mika Baur, Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran.

I am not suggesting that these three are already finished products. Far from it.

They are young footballers with plenty to learn, plenty to improve and, importantly, plenty of football ahead of them. However, I see something in all three that makes me believe they could become the foundations of a genuinely exciting Celtic side in the coming years.

Mika Baur is certainly one to watch.

His talent has already attracted attention beyond Scotland, and his latest Germany Under-21 call-up is another encouraging indication of his potential. Getting recognised at that level by Germany is no small achievement, and Celtic should be delighted to have a young player with that kind of ability developing at the club.

I want to see him given opportunities, trusted and allowed to flourish.

We cannot keep talking about developing young talent while making it unnecessarily difficult for that talent to get onto the pitch.

What would be the point?

Callum Osmand is another player who makes me optimistic about Celtic’s future. There is something exciting about watching a young forward develop, particularly when he shows the confidence, movement and instinct to make things happen.

He has already given supporters plenty of reasons to believe that there is a very good footballer waiting to emerge.

I would much rather see Celtic invest patience in a player like Osmand than spend another fortune searching for someone who might offer little more than a short-term solution.

Give the boy room to grow and let us see what he can become.

And then there is Camilo Duran.

God, you look at this guy and it is easy to see that he has the potential to become a very important attacking player for Celtic. He’s a star. He brings something supporters want to see: energy, attacking intent and the willingness to make things happen.

His connection with the other forwards is something worth developing too.

Football is not simply about collecting talented individuals and hoping they somehow understand one another. Partnerships need time, trust and consistency. Duran deserves that opportunity. He must be our starter for a while at least.

And what makes these three particularly interesting is that we have already seen what Osmand and Duran can produce together.

Their contribution to the 3–2 victory over Be?ikta? was a reminder of what can happen when young, hungry players are given the opportunity to express themselves.

Osmand scored with his first touch and then helped create Duran’s first goal, while the Colombian went on to score twice.

Now, that is the sort of partnership I want Celtic to nurture.

Baur, meanwhile, has earned another Germany Under-21 call-up, which is excellent news and further recognition of his progress. However, here comes the important part.

Celtic must, at the very least, TRY to keep these three players together for the next few years.

And I deliberately use the word TRY because I am well aware that our club has developed a rather irritating habit of treating talented footballers as potential transfer profits rather than long-term building blocks.

I don’t want to see Baur, Osmand or Duran becoming another three names on a list of promising young players who arrived at Celtic, showed their potential and were eventually sold before we could enjoy the best years of their careers.

For once, can we think beyond the next transfer window?

Can we build something rather than constantly dismantling it?

Can we give young players the stability, coaching and environment they need to become genuinely outstanding footballers? In my opinion, these three are among the most precious assets Celtic currently have.

They could become the core of a future great Celtic team, and I would love to see them grow together at Paradise. We don’t need another collection of temporary solutions.

We need a vision, some ambition and a bit of common sense from those running the club.

I know, I know. Perhaps I am asking for miracles.

My verdict?

Keep Baur. Keep Osmand. Keep Duran. Build around them. Celtic have three young talents worth investing in.

Let’s not be so short-sighted that we realise their true value only when they are wearing somebody else’s colours.

That would be a particularly Celtic way of making a mess of a very good opportunity, wouldn’t it?

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