Kristoffer Ajer is becoming a big player for Celtic under Brendan Rodgers.
Brendan Rodgers has told The Glasgow Evening Times that Celtic starlet Kristoffer Ajer is really coming into his own these days.
The 19-year-old centre-back is now a first-team regular at Celtic after starting the Hoops’ last three Premiership games, keeping clean sheets in all of them.
The Bhoys’ 4-0 defeat at Hearts prompted Rodgers to change up his central defensive options, and Ajer, an £800,000 signing under Ronny Deila (The Scotsman), looks to be benefiting from the faith afforded to him by the Northern Irish manager nowadays.
Celtic host bitter Glasgow rivals Rangers on New Year’s Day and the towering Norwegian talent is expected to retain his place in the heart of Rodgers’ defence.
Ajer, who never played under Deila, also struggled for game time initially under the former Liverpool boss, but Rodgers says he is noticing that the youngster is growing as a footballer and becoming attuned to the Scottish game.
“I thought he was outstanding,” said Rodgers to The GET. “You can really clearly see the development in him. Defensively, he is winning his headers which is important for a centre-half, especially when you put pressure on the team, the opponent.
“They kick long balls and you have got to have someone who can go and dominate. And at 6 foot 5 he is starting to do that now. You can see him growing in stature and the physicality of the game. His positioning is good and he is up, he is alert, he is squeezing the pitch – he is never going for a sleep. And then he has the pace if anything goes behind to deal with it.
“With his experience in midfield and his comfort on the ball is very clear. He has this wonderful ability to carry the ball and make his way through the team. I thought he was very good [against Dundee.]”
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