WHEN discussing John Kennedy, it is almost impossible not to refer to him as ''the youngster given his debut at the age of 16 by Kenny Dalglish.'' Arguably his most cherished memory to date, though, is in danger of becoming a growing pain.

The Celtic defender, drafted in during the death throes of the Dream Team, has sprouted and filled out since making an auspicious debut in that 3-0 win against Dundee United in the last game of the 2000-01 season and, recently, he has also earned rave reviews from Rainer Bonhof for some sterling work with the Scotland Under-21s.

One start, against the woefully inept FC Suduva in the UEFA Cup first-round tie, and one substitute appearance, in the CIS Insurance Cup tie against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, is the sum of his Celtic appearances so far this season, but for the teenager patience is a watchword.

''The only thing I can do is keep improving and learning, and hopefully things will work out for me,'' he said upon his return from international duty, an experienced tainted by a 2-0 defeat in Belgium.

None the less, he was perhaps the outstanding performer among Bonhof's brigade and the details of his display will doubtless be relayed to Martin O'Neill. With Stephen Crainey and Shaun Maloney having barged their way into first-team contention at Celtic, only to discover the road to regular involvement blocked off for the time being, Kennedy is in good company.

''Playing for your country cannot do your chances any harm at club level and hopefully this will get noticed. It is a bit of a jump from the under-21 league to playing international football but I think I handled it well.''