Celtic could take Mario Pasalic to another level

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers could get the best out of Chelsea starlet Mario Pasalic – and he could be available for loan this summer.

If there’s one manager in British football you’d trust wholeheartedly to nurture your brightest young stars, it may well be Brendan Rodgers.

Patrick Roberts would certainly agree. After lifting trophy after trophy in a silver-coated 18 month loan from Manchester City, the winger returned to the Etihad this summer a far more rounded player after thriving under Rodgers’ guidance.

Patrick Roberts took his game to a new level under Brendon Rodgers

Perhaps Chelsea should keep this in mind as they choose the next destination for 22-year-old Croatian Mario Pasalic. Gianluca Di Marzio claims that the midfield dynamo could be available for loan again this summer after spending the last two years turning heads at Monaco and AC Milan.

This time around, Lazio, Valencia and, surprisingly, Leeds United are fighting it out to be the next step in Pasalic’s journey to the top.

Lampard 2.0?

But a move to Celtic would surely suit all parties. The former Hajduk Split prodigy has not made a single league appearance for Chelsea since joining in 2013 but Rodgers has shown at Celtic that he is more than willing to give young players a chance.

And Palasic could foster a useful winning mentality at a club where victory is almost second nature. That, and a couple of trophies on the CV, would do his long-term Chelsea prospects no harm at all.

Furthermore, the two-time international has the style and dynamism that Rodgers adores in a midfielder. Capable of breaking into the box from deep and providing creative thrust from a central role, Palasic netted 12 league goals in two years for Monaco and Milan and has drawn somewhat inevitable comparisons to Frank Lampard, the king of goalscoring midfielders.

Mario Pasalic helped AC Milan finish sixth in Serie A

The only concern is game-time. A season on the bench would not benefit anyone and Rodgers has plenty of quality midfield options at his disposal. Yet, if Palasic can start 20 Serie A games for a Milan side returning to Europe after four years away, he could make his presence felt at Celtic too.