'I don't know': Celtic 20y/o coy on long-term future as he is forced to grow up fast

At 20-years-old, Alex Valle is one of the younger players in the Celtic dressing room. Yet in the past few weeks, the Spaniard has grown up fast.

Brought in on loan from Barcelona to compete with Greg Taylor for the left-back slot, Valle has been thrust into regular action sooner than anticipated following a calf injury for Celtic’s regular No 3 for many seasons. He has started the past three matches.

One of those was the ultimate learning curve, Wednesday night’s much-celebrated 0-0 draw with Atalanta in Bergamo. The point allows Celtic to dream of Champions League knock-out football. Valle played his part in a diligent back four that kept its shape, discipline and concentration so well.

“This move has been great for me so far,” said Valle “I have full confidence in myself, my team-mates, the staff - everyone at the club. They’ve been really close to me and they’ve helped me a lot.

Alex Valle helped Celtic draw 0-0 against Atalanta during the week. | SNS Group

“The city of Glasgow is awesome, I really like it. I’m really happy here. I’ve been settling in the city and at the club but it takes time, especially because of the style and the way we play. It’s different to where I’ve come from. So I’ve had to adapt and get better in every game.

“With confidence and getting minutes, I’ve been improving every week. But I still think I can do more and go even further. I’m still finding myself here but I’m getting more confident.”

Taylor is close to a return, having resumed training earlier this week, and now Valle will have to fight harder to keep his place in the team.

“The competition between myself and Greg is really healthy,” continued Valle. “He’s a great person and a great player also.

“It was unfortunate for Greg to get injured but these things happen in football. But it has given me the opportunity to come into the team. I’ve tried to take my chance and give the best I can.

“Whether I stay in there is not my decision, I’m just trying to do everything I can in every game and training session.”

Fellow left-back Greg Taylor is back in training. | SNS Group

Maintaining his current form will undoubtedly lead to questions on whether Celtic will attempt to sign Valle on a permanent basis. The Spain Under-20 internationalist penned a contract extension with Barcelona until the summer of 2026 and is non-committal on plans beyond this season.

“I’m looking forward to this season, I just go year-by-year,” he said. “I don’t know what will happen in the future. But I’m enjoying it here. I love this city, it’s been great for me.”

In the immediate term, Valle and his team-mates must turn their attention to Sunday’s Premiership clash with Motherwell, who caused Celtic issues last term. The champions have not been at their best in domestic matches immediately after Champions League assignments, with Falkirk and Ross County running them close after Slovan Bratislava and Borussia Dortmund respectively.

“It’s a hard thing to do, coming back from a European match to play in a tough Scottish league game,” Valle added. “But we have to show our strength from the Champions League and take that into Sunday’s game, which will be difficult.

“We have to be as competitive as we can to try and win the game.”