Alan Stubbs has lauded the ongoing maturity and improvement of Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer, but stressed that he wasn’t the finished article yet.
The 22-year-old has been one of Celtic’s most important players in recent years, culminating in quite a lot of speculation regarding his future.
Ajer, who was signed by Ronny Deila, has been linked to the likes of Liverpool and Leicester City in recent months.
And Stubbs has admitted that he’s a big fan, claiming that the Norway international – who stands at 6’5 – is deceptively quick and technical for a player of his stature, but insists that there are still concentration issues to work on.
He told The Scottish Sun: “He’s very deceiving – he’s quicker than what you think. He’s got a long, galloping stride. He’s got better with the ball. I still think his concentration can be better at times but for me he is the best centre-half out of the Old Firm. He’s constantly maturing and looks more of a man now rather than a boy.”
Is Ajer the perfect centre-back? Nope, but he’s only 22.
It’s easy to forget because he seems to have been around for years, but he’s still such a young player and excitingly for Celtic, he can and will get so much better.
Neil Lennon’s side host Rangers at Parkhead this weekend and another mature performance against one of the best in Scotland – Alfredo Morelos – will only enhance the big man’s reputation as a centre-back to look out for in the near future.
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