Former Rangers man Dean Furman helped Celtic in Rivaldo Coetzee pursuit

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Rivaldo Coetzee is set to become a Celtic player – and the advice of a one-time Rangers youngster played a big part in the deal.

The gap between Rangers and Celtic is wide enough already without a former Gers player helping their Old Firm rivals enhance a squad already brimming with talent.

Celtic have all but wrapped up the signing of Ajax Cape Town centre-back Rivaldo Coetzee with manager Brendan Rodgers lauding the 20-year-old as an ‘outstanding player’ after sealing their qualification for the Champions League group-stage on Wednesday, as reported by the Scottish Sun.

South African international is one of the most highly rated youngsters on the continent with 22 caps to his name already. However, Coetzee is completely unproven outside of his homeland and it remains to be seen how he adapts to the climate, speed and physical demands of the European game.

Therefore, Rodgers turned to the South African midfielder Dean Furman, who worked with the Northern Irishman during his time at Chelsea’s youth academy, for advice.

It’s who you know

And Furman, who made one appearance for Rangers and captained the club’s Under-19s to a Youth Cup final victory over Celtic in 2007, believes the current champions have a big talent on their hands.

“Celtic contacted me because I played under Brendan Rodgers (in Chelsea’s academy). They wanted to ask me about Rivaldo,” the 29-year-old (below), who currently represents SuperSport United in his home country, told the Daily Record.

“I believe he can handle the physical aspect of the league. He was thrown into the South Africa team at a young age and he was never out-muscled against the big guys in African football.

“He will be working with one of the best coaches in Brendan Rodgers. I imagine his game will improve incredibly.”

Furman was never given the chance to be a fan favourite at Rangers, leaving for Oldham Athletic shortly after his breakthrough at Ibrox.

But it’s fair to say he hasn’t exactly improved his reputation on the blue half of Glasgow by helping Celtic identify another talented youngster who could widen the gulf in class between one Old Firm giant and the other.