This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Carlisle United are struggling in League Two this season with the Cumbrian's down in 20th place in the division ahead of the weekend visit of Cambridge United.

Their plight though may not be helped by a report on Football Insider, that suggests that Celtic are monitoring their young defender Jarrand Branthwaite with a view to a January move for the 6ft 4 player.

So would Branthwaite be a good addition at Celtic Park?

We discuss.........

Kris Smith

"I like the look of this.

“This would be a great investment from Celtic to sign the 17-year-old as he is already showing great promise so early in his career.

“At 17, he is by no means the finished article but Celtic would be signing a strong centre-back who is only going to get better with experience of playing in better divisions.

“Celtic push for Champions League qualification annually so it’s a massive step up in standards from League Two, but he can be eased in slowly by featuring in the league and cup competitions.

“If Celtic can hold off competition from Aston Villa, they will be getting a very promising young player whose value will only improve by playing at Parkhead.”

Chris Thorpe

"This is something that really doesn't surprise me about Celtic, as we have seen in recent years that the Glasgow based club are keen to scour the EFL for the best young talent, as we have seen with the signings of Moussa Dembele and more recently Luca Connell.

"Given that he is still only 17 years of age, Branthwaite has already made a strong impression at Carlisle, appearing in five games already this term, with his game having come on leaps and bounds.

"It will be interesting if the youngster was to make the move to Celtic Park, with his age and lack of experience in professional football sure to be a determining factor of any transfer.

"Personally I think he would be best suited to remaining in League Two, as this would in theory offer him a more regular run of games at the top level, whereas at Celtic he would likely move straight into their under 23s side."

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Jordan Rushworth

“Braithwaite has demonstrated his vast potential to develop into an excellent defender, during his performances for Carlisle in both League Two and in the EFL Trophy so far this campaign, and it is no surprise to see him being linked with the likes of Celtic.

“Considering he is just 17-years-old he still has plenty of time to develop, and a spell playing for Celtic in the SPFL would certainly see him given the platform to develop his experience and consistency in terms of his defending and quality and composure in possession.

“Celtic have proven their ability to develop players with potential and then sell them onto to clubs in bugger domestic leagues throughout the last few years, with Virgil van Dijk a real standout example, and Braithwaite would head to Glasgow full of belief that he could achieve similar success north of the boarder.

“It is worth noting though that Braithwaite has only just begun his professional career, and so he might well be better served remaining at Carlisle where he is already beginning to establish himself as a key player in League Two – and he must be cautious about moving and ending up seeing his game time limited.”