Bayern providing perfect platform for former Parkhead wunderkind

BAYERN MUNICH starlet Barry Hepburn is learning from arguably the best set of wingers at a club in world football and believes he’s progressed hugely since moving from Celtic two years ago.

The 18- year- old will be part of the Scotland Under- 19 team who play their Euro qualifiers this week, starting tomorrow against Iceland at Firhill, before they face Kazakhstan and France.

Hepburn quit Parkhead for a life- changing move to the Bundesliga giants in August 2020 and scored for them last month in the UEFA Youth League against Inter Milan.

The Bannockburn- born wideman is enjoying one of the best possible footballing educations though with Bayern boasting wingers of the calibre of Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and Sadio Mane who have all featured on the flanks for the Bavarian side this season. And he’s already had a taste of the standard he’s expecting to reach when he played a friendly against the first team this season.

He said: “It is good to look up to all these guys, who are world class. If I am wearing the No. 7 shirt for the team, I’m thinking I’m Gnabry as I have his number on my back. If I have the No. 10 then I’m thinking I’m Sane for the day.

“At Celtic, I would look up to James Forrest and now, at Bayern, I’m looking up to Sane and Mane. It is a big difference. I have been fortunate to train with them a few times and the standard was a different level altogether.

“We played a bounce game when the reserves played against the first team and they beat us 5- 0. I did manage to get past Joshua Kimmich once but that was about it.”