PLAYER PROFILE

Darren O'Dea

Position: Defence

Height: 6'1

Weight: 13st 0lbs

Date of Birth: 1987-02-04 Dublin, Republic of Ireland

Darren O'Dea

Marked out for a long, successful career from an early age with Home Farm in Dublin, Darren O'Dea has been one of the first of Celtic's impressive crop of young players to break through to the first team.

O'Dea has been with the club for four years, rising through the youth and reserve ranks, where his leadership skills and composure have impressed Celtic's coaches. His successful season captaining the reserves marked him out as a possible first team leader, but his immediate ambition remains to hold down a regular position in the defence; an area where Celtic had a great deal of competition for places.

Nevertheless, the Irishman's performances, built around his reading of the game, strength in the air and eye for goal, have seen him impress fans, the press and the not-easily-won-over Gordon Strachan who has employed a centre-back partnership of O'Dea and new signing Steven Pressley in the latter part of the season. If his progress continues on a similar trajectory, O'Dea could be at the heart of the Hoops defence for many seasons.