Celtic’s new Bhoy has the confidence a new signing needs. Excellent.

So yesterday we’ve signed a new boy – Callum Osmond – and I think most of us are pretty pleased with that.

We’re pleased that he talks well about his plans, and even more so that he’s talked about what Brendan has told him his plans are for the team. This kid isn’t being brought in to warm a seat in the stand. It sounds like he’s here to play a role.

And that’s all to the good.

He comes from a very well-established academy – one we know well, one we’ve signed good players from before and one we trust, because it has produced the goods time and time again. Top players have come through its doors and gone on to big careers. We know their names. We know the pedigree. So let’s not write this off – this could be a really good piece of business.

If this kid is going to establish himself, it’s crucial he gets the chance to do it quickly. This is a big year for Idah. Adam is going to have to prove himself all over again – that’s the price of people not quite believing he did enough last season.

Although I’ll say this all day and all night: I think Adam had an excellent campaign. I think he looks like an excellent player for this club, and I’m at a bit of a loss to work out why so many people are down on him.

But nobody’s dropping Maeda. We know that for a fact.

So, something’s got to give. If Osmond has been given a pathway – and if both he and the club intend to follow it – then that pathway can’t just exist on paper. It has to be walked. That means Adam needs to show up strong in pre-season, and this kid needs to start games too. We need to see what he’s got up close. If he hits the ground running, then he’s a contender from day one.

It’s always good when a young player signs for us and doesn’t talk about patience or biding his time, but about what he can do right now. That’s confidence. That’s the kind of confidence you need to be a Celtic player at this moment in time.

It’s a kind of confidence that – dare I say it again – a lot of people think Lennon Miller lacks when they talk about him snubbing Celtic for his own good. The test facing Osmond is tougher than the one facing Miller, but he believes he can come in and do it. He’s talking the talk already.

Now we need to find out if he can back it up. If he’s got the skills to deliver, we’re not going to discover that while he’s sitting on the bench. He has to play. He has to get substantial minutes.

Only then will we know. Only then will he know. And only then will we have a clear-sighted view of what’s needed for the rest of this window.

If this kid is being brought in as the third striker – after Maeda and Idah – then let the club declare that. Let’s hear it.

Put it on the record. Let’s see how they defend it. The best way to defend it is by putting him on the pitch and letting him score goals. Simple as that. Pre-season is the best time for it. We’ve got high-profile games against high-profile opponents, so let him test himself against top players and top teams.

The thing about a ‘project player’ is this: if he ticks the right boxes and suits the style of play, then the best way to get something out of him is to play him. If a project player doesn’t fit the system, then serious questions have to be asked about why he was signed in the first place.

I think this kid has a good pedigree. He talks the talk. Those are the hallmarks of someone with potential.

He has the confidence, and he has enough stature in terms of how highly rated he is, that you can see why we’ve made this move. You can see the potential. So I’m not writing him off – quite the opposite.

I’m saying, give him a chance. Give him a chance as soon as possible. And if we find out he’s raw, if he needs polish, if there’s work to be done – then send him out on loan right away and bring in the striker we need. Because where we’re going this season, we can’t take passengers.

There’s far too much at stake to take unnecessary risks. I fear we’re already taking some. And I fear we’ll keep taking them.

But having an untested player as our back-up striker? Just like we did going into the Cup Final? That’s a risk too far. And I strongly suspect the manager knows that. I suspect it’s one risk he’s not willing to take.