Henderson has a contract with Celtic until 2022

Celtic midfielder Ewan Henderson says the remoteness of Dingwall will help him "focus fully on football" after his loan move to Ross County.

The 19-year-old, who has made eight appearances for the champions, finalised a season-long switch to the Highland club on Monday.

Earlier this year, he signed a new contract until the summer of 2022.

"I need the chance to play first-team football and this is the perfect place for me to come to," said Henderson.

"I feel it is a big move, at this stage of my career. I have broken in to the Celtic first team, but obviously there are a lot of players there.

"Dingwall is quite far away from everywhere. You usually come home and do things, but now up here you can focus fully on football which is the best thing for me."

With Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie, Olivier Ntcham and Tom Rogic among those ahead of him in the central midfielder pecking order at Celtic Park, the teenager knows it will be tough to break through but is determined to emulate the recent examples of academy graduates Kieran Tierney and Mikey Johnston.

"It gets you more motivated, because you want to perform better in training, and when you get your chance you need to perform at the top of your game so you keep your place," he said.

"It is a tall order, but when you are training with them every day you are learning lots of things, because they are all at the very top level. They would always help me, try and improve me as well, so they have helped me a lot in my career so far."

Ross County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell says the move north is "a massive opportunity" for Henderson.

"When you look at the progression of Ryan Christie, for example, who had a loan spell [at Aberdeen] then came back to Celtic and has thrived, that is one of the guys that Ewan now has to go and try and displace from his position in the team," he said.

"You are talking about the best midfielders in the country, the guys that turn it on every single week and deliver under pressure so, it is no mean feat to go and try and do that. But we believe, and Celtic believe, that this will give him an opportunity to try and progress his career and try and make him a guy that really sticks out amongst their group."