O'Dea: Parkhead change was needed

Darren O'Dea claims he had to leave Celtic last summer to alter the perception of him as simply a promising youngster. The 23-year-old defender came through the ranks at Parkhead but after failing to pin down a regular first team spot he went out on loan at the start of the season to Reading.He returned in January and due in part to injuries to Glenn Loovens, Thomas Rogne and Jos Hooiveld, the Irishman has become a mainstay of the Hoops' defence and now he wants to be judged solely on ability."I wanted to get away from Celtic for a few months," he told BBC Alba's CLUB TV programme"I wanted to be at Celtic but I had to get away for different reasons."One of the main reasons was that I was sick of being looked at as a young kid breaking through."I've been here since I was 15 and people like Tommy Burns instilled into me that I should appreciate what I have at this club every day."I know how big Celtic is and how proud I am and should be about playing for the club. Leaving showed me even more how big the club was."I've been here for eight years now and I've never seen anything different."Getting away for a few months, I think, did me the world of good."I improved as a player and improved more as a person, becoming a bigger and stronger character."I'm 23 and I'm more than capable of playing week in, week out with the pressure of it all."And if I'm not then I shouldn't be at a club like this. I don't want the excuse of my age anymore."However, O'Dea admits he still feels too young to be a Celtic skipper.He was handed the captain's armband on several occasions before former manager Tony Mowbray appointed Scott Brown skipper on a permanent basis.The Irishman said: "To be captain of a club like Celtic is massive, but it was only a temporary thing. It was just a few games."Scott Brown was always going to be the captain and rightly so."I'm not ready to be the captain of the club now; I've not learnt enough, I've not played enough."Hopefully, in years to come if I'm lucky enough to still be playing here, it'll be something that I'd love to do."But, just now, it's not the right time."

Source: Team_Talk