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Alan Stubbs insists that Cameron Carter-Vickers's numerous Tottenham Hotspur loan spells were the making of him as a player - because they led him to his spiritual football home at Celtic and helped him salvage his American dream.
While the USA international was at Spurs he was loaned out six times to Sheffield United, Ipswich, Swansea, Stoke City, Luton Town and Bournemouth before the magnificent seventh spell ended up with him penning a permanent deal with Celtic.
The 25-year-old has since tasted the delights of Champions League football and earned a recall into USA national team coach Gregg Berhalter's side.
After enduring a three-year spell in the international wilderness without gaining a cap, Carter-Vickers gatecrashed USA's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad in November and made his debut in the competition on November 29 against Iran in a 1-0 win for the US.
"Sometimes that can hinder a player but it can also help a player," Stubbs told The Celtic Way. "In Cameron Carter-Vickers's case, the loan spells while he was at Spurs have clearly helped.
READ MORE: The 'negative' Cameron Carter-Vickers view at Tottenham that Celtic have helped blow away
"He has quickly realised what he wanted from football and his career. Even though he may not have had some great experiences when he was out on loan he will have learned so much from them.
"I think that is where he has become a better person. It does not necessarily translate that you become a better player but he has learned so much from all those loan experiences with every club.
"He has used his club performances at Celtic to gatecrash the USA World Cup squad and he played a group match against Iran and helped his country win.
"International football and playing at the 2022 World Cup will probably not have been on Carter-Vickers' radar at all when he signed for Celtic initially but his superb performances forced Gregg Berhalter to have another look at him.
"You don't gatecrash a World Cup squad unless you are doing something seriously right at club level because, let's be honest, the manager's selections are all but formulated a few months before a World Cup even starts.
"The fact that he has worked his way back into the international fold on the back of his form for Celtic is even more impressive. He has found a spiritual home at Celtic - it is a very easy place to fall in love with because of the way you are treated and the way you are revered.
"Some players become overnight successes while for others it takes a little bit more time. Then you get the odd one or two where it just doesn't happen for them at a club like Celtic.
"More often than not it is a fantastic place to ply your trade and play your football and like anywhere it is a great place when you are winning. Carter-Vickers is not only winning he is playing in front of 60,000 fans every other week and there are not many better places to do that than at Celtic Park.
"He also has a realistic chance of playing Champions League group stage football again next season. This season was the first time that a lot of Postecoglou's Celtic team had sampled playing European football at that elite level. The experience they have gained from coming up against the likes of Real Madrid will stand them in good stead.
"The Celtic players and the manager will all have learned from it. They will know the levels and the standard required and what they need to improve on both individually and collectively. If they can get there again next season then they will give a better account of themselves.
"From Carter-Vickers' point of view, right now his football life could not get much better."
This piece is an extract from the latest Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.
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