Has Roberts set the bar impossibly high for Thierry Ambrose at Celtic?

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Celtic are reportedly interested in another Manchester City youngster but will Thierry Ambrose swap the Premier League for the Scottish Premiership?

Celtic and Manchester City could be about to link up once again. The Premier League champions have made a habit of loaning their brightest young stars to Celtic with John Guidetti, Jason Denayer and Patrick Roberts all making the move north of the border since 2014.

Thierry Ambrose, then, would have a tough act to follow, particularly with Roberts having won three Scottish Premiership titles in just two-and-a-half years in green and white. Guidetti, meanwhile, scored 15 goals for Celtic while Denayer won the league’s Young Player of the Year award.

Now, Onze Mondail have claimed that Celtic are scouting the 21-year-old striker and could be hoping to sign him on loan from City for next season. The Hoops face competition from Ligue 1 club Nice who, thanks to Patrick Vieira, are likely to enjoy a favourable relationship with the Manchester giants, too.

But can Ambrose replicate the impact that Roberts made in two-and-a-bit superb seasons in Scotland? The 21-year-old – who has been compared to namesake Thierry Henry due to his pace off the flanks – is a very raw talent; albeit one who scored ten goals in the Eredivisie during a loan spell at NAC Breda last season.

But Ambrose performed only in fits and bursts and it is difficult to tell just how good he is as things stand. Plus the Frenchman will have the added pressure of following in the footsteps of Roberts, who can lay claim to being the best loan signing in Celtic’s recent history.

So this would be a real test of Ambrose’s temperament as well as his quality. Can he thrive when all the fans are comparing him to the man who came before?