Celtic star Kristoffer Ajer has been earning huge praise lately.
Former Celtic defender and assistant manager Johan Mjallby has told The Scottish Sun that he thanks Kristoffer Ajer is somewhat similar to Virgil van Dijk – and can take a similar path to stardom.
There was a time when Celtic fans may have been worried about losing both Dedryck Boyata and Filip Benkovic this summer, but Ajer has certainly eased those fears of late.
Ajer, 20, has been a rock in the heart of the Celtic back line under Neil Lennon, turning in consistent performances whilst seemingly hitting his stride as a defender.
It’s easy to forget that the 6ft 5in giant actually arrived as a box-to-box midfielder back in 2016, having impressed with IK Start before Ronny Deila lured his compatriot to Parkhead.
Brendan Rodgers converted him into a defender though, and whilst he’s had to wait for a consistent run as the leading centre back for Celtic, he’s grasped his opportunity now.
He has the size for a centre back, but also has pace and technical ability, meaning he may well develop into the full package – just like Virgil van Dijk did with the Bhoys.
Ex-Celtic defender Mjallby, who also served as Lennon’s assistant in his first spell, has now admitted that he seems some of the same qualities in Ajer as in Van Dijk, and backed him to forge a similar path to stardom as the Dutchman.
Mjallby did though add that he’s heard rumours Ajer may head to the Bundesliga in the near future, and urged him to stay put at Celtic in order to keep developing before making a big move.
“I have seen a lot of Ajer. He’s still young but he has the size and is good on the ball,” said Mjallby. “It’s probably taken him some time to put his authority out there, to some degree. But he has got all the attributes you need to be a really good defender. Kris has every chance of becoming a top, top player some day. He could definitely follow the same path as Van Dijk. If he stays at Celtic, he’s got every chance. I’ve actually been waiting on him exploding to a certain degree. He caught my eye when he started to play.”
“Now he’s got more experience and he’s probably maturing a lot as well. He’s got every chance of becoming a very good defender. Remember Virgil was probably further ahead in his career when we brought him to Celtic. It’s important for Kristoffer, as he’s so young, to improve his leadership qualities before he’s contemplating going to another league. I have heard rumours he may go to the Bundesliga. I think he should definitely stay and become a Celtic stalwart before he even contemplates a move. It would be good for his future to make sure he is a starter in every game here first. That would give him experience,” he added.
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