AN Ardoyne teenager has been included in Celtic's upcoming pre-season tour of the USA, days after scoring his first goal for the club.

Francis Turley (18) came on in the 63rd minute of the Hoops’ pre-season fixture against Queen's Park at The City Stadium in Glasgow last Wednesday.

Turley then found the net on 72 minutes for Brendan Rodgers’ side as ran out 6-4 winners.

Speaking afterwards, Brendan Rodgers praised Turley for his impact on the game.

“I’ve only seen him in the last few days and you can see he’s a football player," he said.

"He does some wonderful things with the ball and he has a natural instinct to get into the box. I was really pleased for him in that final half hour.”

Turley was named in Northern Ireland's U19 European Championship squad ahead of Monday’s opening game against Ukraine at Inver Park in Larne. However, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers opted to pull Turley out of the eight-team tournament so he could participate in the Hoops pre-season tour of America. 

Celtic will play matches against Chelsea, Man City and DC United as part of the tour.

Francis' uncle Thomas Turley said there is a real "buzz" amongst the family for the opportunity ahead for the youngster.

"The whole family are over the moon. We are absolutely ecstatic for him. To get an opportunity like this is stuff dreams are made of," he said. "There is a real buzz at the minute. It is unreal.

"Going to the USA with Celtic is an amazing opportunity. Francis is going to learn so much in terms of his development, to train and play alongside real top players.

"We will definitely be sitting up at night to watch the games and cheering him on."

Northern Ireland U19 boss Gareth McAuley said he was "disappointed" to lose the services of the talented teen but said he was "delighted" to see Turley get his opportunity to impress at club level.

“It’s great for Fra to be part of the Celtic first team, however it’s disappointing for us as he was coming to the fore to be a key player for us," he said.

Turley has been replaced in the Northern Ireland panel by Luton Town midfielder and West Belfast native Dylan Stitt.