Former Celtic prospect Jack Aitchison has opened up on the frustration surrounding his departure from the club, admitting he was left “fuming” as he realised his first-team hopes were fading at the Hoops.
Aitchison burst onto the scene during the closing stages of the 2015-16 campaign, becoming Celtic’s youngest-ever player and goalscorer when he found the net against Motherwell at just 16 years and 71 days old.
Despite the record-breaking start, the striker struggled to establish himself in the senior side and ultimately made only 10 appearances for Celtic before moving on.
‘Ronny Deila said I was going to be a first-team player’
Looking back on his exit in an interview with the Daily Record, Aitchison admitted he was devastated that his early breakthrough did not lead to a lasting role in the first team.
“Yeah, I was gutted. My mum and dad were on the pitch after that first game and Ronny Deila said I was going to be a first-team player. I worked really hard over the off-season.
“Then Brendan came in. That kind of calibre of manager, I was like, ‘wow’. He was never really going to risk youngsters in his first season though. He went and signed Moussa Dembele and the next season Odsonne Edouard for millions of pounds.
“Brendan was good to be fair. Straight away he sat me down. I was scoring loads of goals at youth level, but he told me what I wasn’t good at. It’s not just about goals, you need to work hard, defend, hold it up and make unselfish runs.”
‘I realised my time was up at Celtic’
Aitchison added: “I went back with the youth team and worked on that. I was still scoring goals. I was in head of youth Chris McCart’s office at least once a week, saying, when am I going back up to the first team?
“Even at that young age, I was frustrated. I returned from a really good first loan at Forest Green and thought I was going away with the first team on pre-season. I didn’t get to go. And that really hurt. Boys that had stuck around at Celtic playing youth football went. But I went on loan to play first team football, did well and didn’t get to go.
“I was fuming, if I’m being honest. That’s when I realised my time was up at Celtic. They offered me a contract extension. But I thought, ‘if somebody’s getting a benefit from me it’ll be somebody else’. It was a big decision to leave but I still believe it was the right one.”
Aitchison’s spell away from Celtic began with a successful loan at Forest Green Rovers, where he impressed in England’s League Two.
He later signed for Barnsley before heading out on loan to Stevenage, eventually returning to Forest Green and featuring in every league match during one campaign.
The forward came back to Scotland with Motherwell in 2023, although his stay was brief. He has since become a regular at Exeter City, making more than 100 appearances for the club.
Now 26, Aitchison recently experienced relegation from League One with the Grecians after a difficult season in England.
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2 Comments
Three cheers to sky but in a business sense they where cutting there throat yes hearts are the only team that can win the league on wednesday night so that was the game to be honest if it was in the Epfl any league it would always been two matches just be suprise they will need to hire camaraes it will cost them thats what they get for treating Scottish league so poorly all season games getting moved to poor times to accomadate English league not just premier but championship yes we went with other network thats what happens when clubs with 7,000 or less season books get the same vote as club with 60,000 season books and 50,000 Celtic and Rangers are thevtwo clubs that can fill there stadium with there own supporters id say Celtic twice if they pushed it maybe Rangers before 2012 but there they lost a lot that know its not the club there fathers fathers went to support its identity has gone new co owned by carpet baggers now american franchise profit is there game not heritage A small word Celtic fans especailly the green brigade you should be lucky we have the major share holder we have throwing balls onto the pitch and having our players having to clear it you lost us that game at that moment id have banned you all season you have allowed anirchyst to wave there hamas flags at an Israela player wearing a Celtic strip we know they arent Celtic supporters there the ones that stood out side vaselane but they have found a better media coverage get them out now embarresed the club and its supporters this season in the falkirk made us look like bullies chasing after three people that person had no ticket for that part of the ground I was close to him waving his big banner they even move kids so they can get best place to get in the camera theres about 20 of them protecting the flag bearer I have wrote to John paul but he seems afraid some how these people get away tickets every game it has to be look into we go there to watch and enjoy afternoons and evenings to watch our team and soak up the atmoshere watch a big flag waving in front of us nit Celtic nothing to do with us not irish our heritage not even close to what or families went through politics out of the sport
Brendan Rodgers destroyed more goalscorers at Celtic than he brought in!
Leigh Griffiths, Kyogo, and while he did sign Scott Sinclair, he also dropped him out of the team when we needed him most! But he ruined Griff and Kyogo! He also spent £9M on Idah and sat him on the bench 50% of the time! Even then he scored 22 goals!
Rodgers is a self centred moron who was on a personal mission at Celtic! It was nothing to do with the success of the club!
He was on a destructive course, and I applaud DD for recognizing that!