As a club with a rich history of promoting young talent – from the famed Lisbon Lions right up to current skipper, Callum McGregor – Celtic appear to constantly be churning out up-and-coming stars who can go on to thrive either at Parkhead, or beyond.

One such youngster who is currently creating a lot of buzz in Glasgow at present is promising teenager, Rocco Vata, with the highly-rated 17-year-old – who is the son of ex-Hoops defender Rudi Vata – having already forced his way into the first team.

The gifted playmaker – who has been attracting interest from clubs across Europe in recent times – was notably handed his senior debut by manager Ange Postecoglou back in December despite his youth, with that a marker of just how highly-regarded he is by the Old Firm outfit.

A player with an “exciting future ahead”, according to talent scout Jacek Kulig, the playmaking Irishman was also involved in the club’s Sydney Super Cup voyage during the World Cup break, after previously earning a place in the pre-season friendly trip to Austria.

Although there may be fears that the Glasgow-born gem could follow the likes of Ben Doak in securing a move to the Premier League, with both Manchester City and Arsenal reportedly keeping tabs on his progress, the hope will be that he can go on to make further strides under Postecoglou moving forward.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo has certainly showcased his attacking flair in the youth ranks of late, having already scored 11 goals in all competitions so far this season, including nine goals in just 15 Lowland League games for the club’s ‘B’ team.

Such quality has notably seen Vata earn comparisons to current Chelsea and England star, Raheem Sterling from talent scout Jake McGhee due to his ‘dribbling and flair’, with that an indication of the possible diamond that Postecoglou currently has on his hands.

The fact that the youngster has been described as a player who “has a fantastic ability to beat people and create chances”, according to youth coach Darren O’Dea, appears to showcase just why those Sterling comparisons ring true, with the experienced Englishman also possessing such dynamic traits.

That is evidenced by the fact that the 28-year-old – who, like Vata, can feature all across the forward line – ranks in the top 3% in Europe among his fellow forwards for progressive carries as well as in the top 7% for successful take-ons, thus illustrating his innate knack for breezing past opposition defenders.

The 82-cap speedster is no doubt an impressive figure to be likened to, having most notably racked up 131 goals and 95 assists in 339 games during a glittering spell at the Etihad, while also being described as “frightening” by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino last year.

To be able to emulate what is arguably a “world-class player” – according to ex-Everton boss Frank Lampard – will take some doing as far as Vata is concerned, although it bodes well for the career that he could go on to enjoy to have been compared to such an elite attacking talent.