In player development terms, Kenny might be the sign of hope Celtic fans have looked for.

The other day, Johnny Kenny spoke to the media about his hopes of signing a new Celtic deal. The manager has expressed his own desire to see that happen, and now Kenny has confirmed that he wants to stay. That is a highly significant development because Celtic do see Kenny as a player for the future—and the only way that future was going to be realised was by getting him out on loan, having him play games, and come back a better, more rounded footballer.

Johnny Kenny is one of those guys who’s well past the point of featuring in the Lowland League. That level does him no good whatsoever. It’s frankly atrocious that we’ve had so many players waste so much time in that horror of an environment.

One of the clearest takeaways from the second half against Cork was how limited some of the young players looked—and it wasn’t down to a lack of talent, but a lack of proper development. The problem isn’t the players. The problem is where we’re asking them to play.

Kenny’s willingness to sign a new deal—and to trust Celtic, the manager, and the process—is refreshing. He’s not the first player in recent years to be offered those terms. A virtually identical deal was offered to Rocco Vata, who turned it down; to Daniel Kelly, who turned it down; and more recently, and regrettably, to Daniel Cummings—now at West Ham—who’s made a lot of noise since leaving, not all of it flattering to Celtic. But he too was offered the chance to sign a deal, be part of the first team squad, and have the club analyse the next step in his development.

Rightly or wrongly—and that’s a matter of hot debate, I understand—none of those three players trusted the club or the system. You could argue they had good reason. You could argue all of them have benefited from going elsewhere and playing regular football. But the fact is, had they signed those deals, they’d almost certainly have been sent out on loan and playing first team football anyway—but with a genuine shot at returning to Celtic Park and making it as pros.

Kenny does trust the system. He trusts the manager. He’s willing to take a chance that we’re serious when we say he has a future here.

The thing about Kenny is that he’s already seen the development pathway in action. He was sent out to Ireland for a season—to play regularly, to grow, to improve. And that’s exactly what he did. He played in Europe. He faced big teams, played against experienced players, and scored important goals. His development has been excellent. And if he’s not quite ready yet, that’s something we can fix easily by sending him back out on loan—as long as he intends to return.

It’s a well-known fact that Vata, Kelly and Cummings were all offered new Celtic contracts. Each was told they’d be joining the first team squad. Each was told the club would assess the right next step—loan or otherwise. They all knew the pattern. They all knew the plan. None of them wanted to stay. If Kenny does, then that is a very welcome change of pace.

None of those three were ready for regular first team football. That’s the truth. That’s the fact. None of them was ready to step up and play week in, week out, for a team under constant pressure to win every single game.

The pressure at Celtic is enormous. The expectation level is through the roof. Some players simply shouldn’t be put under that weight until they’re truly ready. Now, I do get the argument that some need to be tested by that pressure in order to grow into it—but it crushes more than it elevates. If the club is reluctant to take that risk—if Brendan is reluctant to take that risk—I understand. I see both sides. It’s a hard needle to thread.

But Kenny, at least, has seen the value in sticking with the plan. He’s now part of the first team setup. He trusts the coaching staff. He knows they rate him. And he believes that with a little more polish, he can break through. Waiting that little bit longer until he’s truly ready benefits both him and the club. And even if he ends up elsewhere, playing first team football in the meantime ensures that his career options will be far stronger than they are today.

This is forward planning. This is strategy. Maybe this is Tisdale and Rodgers working together for the greater good, putting in place what’s needed to make sure more of our players escape the hellish Lowland League and instead go into proper football environments where they can grow.

What’s most important here is that it shows some of these guys do recognise what it takes. It takes faith in the club. Faith in what Rodgers is trying to do. Faith in the process. And when that faith is shown, maybe good things will happen.

Time will tell. But Kenny’s got a better chance of making it at Celtic than those who rejected the pathway—because he chose loyalty. And it shows commitment on the part of both player and club. That’s the kind of partnership that brings footballers through to the first team that little bit quicker.