Tipped as the next Celtic captain, now I’m taking notes from the ultimate role model

Kyle Ure, currently on loan at Ayr United, marked his Scotland Under-21 debut with a goal during an emphatic 12-0 win against Gibraltar. The young midfielder is determined to carry this momentum forward as Scotland prepares for a crucial Euro 2027 qualifier in Baku, aiming to bounce back from earlier defeats to the Czech Republic and Portugal.

Ure, 19, has been widely praised for his potential, with former Celtic manager Neil Lennon previously tipping him as a future club captain. Now, he’s benefiting from the guidance of another Parkhead figure, Scott Brown, who is managing him at Ayr and providing intensive, position-specific coaching.

“It’s been great working for him I got a really good impression when I met him and I felt like it was going to benefit me massively because he played in the same position as me,” Ure revealed. “It’s a big help, especially when you consider what he did at Celtic. He’s been doing individual work with me to develop me as a player, working with me at heading, defensive work and what he wants from me in possession.”

Jamie Murphy, another experienced head at Ayr, has also contributed to Ure’s development, offering one-to-one sessions and post-training advice. Ure credits these tailored sessions and in-depth analysis with tangible improvements in his performances, particularly in switching play and creating goal-scoring opportunities.

“The conversations the manager has had with me and the analysis he does are invaluable. For example, he had me in after we played Airdrie and we spoke about how I could switch play. And it’s paid off because we have scored goals like that since,” Ure admitted.

Ure is also conscious of the expectations set by his parent club Celtic. “I saw what Neil Lennon said and it was a good compliment, I just need to work hard and be professional. I spoke to the Celtic manager in pre-season and he said he would be looking for me to be ready for first-team football at 20 or 21. So I need to use this loan to prove that I’m ready when I return.”

Shaun Maloney, the pathway manager at Celtic, has encouraged Ure to use his loan spell to establish himself as a top performer in the Championship. Ure has embraced this challenge, regularly completing full matches and gaining valuable experience in senior football.

Having impressed at Dens Park during his Under-21s debut, Ure is set on helping Scotland secure another victory in Azerbaijan. “The idea was just to come in and do what I do and I think I managed that. Azerbaijan will be a tough game but we’re going to try and exploit their weaker areas,” he said.

Scotland Under-21 coach Scot Gemmill is eager for his team to build on their recent success and erase memories of a previous defeat in Azerbaijan when he was in charge of the Under-17s. “Azerbaijan seem to be a lot stronger at home and they drew with Bulgaria in their last game here,” Gemmill noted. “It will be very difficult and that’s why I was so pleased we scored so many goals against Gibraltar. The attitude was really good. They played with real purpose and intent. So it will be a challenge for them to show it wasn’t just because it was against Gibraltar, they have to do it again.”