Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer should be a key player next season.
Many Celtic players have been in action all around the world during this international break, with varying degrees of success.
Those away with Scotland will want to quickly forget about this international break, but even in defeat, Kristoffer Ajer has stepped up.
Norway took on Spain in Valencia on Saturday night, and Ajer was picked to lead the Norwegian back line against a vaunted Spanish attack.
Yes, Spain came away 2-1 winners on the night, but Norway more than held their own – and Ajer earned rave reviews for his performance.
It’s easy to forget that Ajer is still just 20, and has already undergone a major change in his career having switched from a box-to-box midfielder to a centre back at Celtic.
So early into his career, Ajer is showing huge potential, and whilst Celtic may be looking for two centre backs this summer given that Dedryck Boyata and Filip Benkovic are leaving, Ajer can save them millions of pounds.
Celtic won’t receive any money for Boyata and Benkovic leaving, making signing replacements that much harder – but in Ajer, they already have a player ready to step up and become a week-to-week starter.
Ajer came of age in a fine display against Spain, which should give Celtic all the encouragement they need to ensure the youngster is regarded as a key player next season – rather than bringing in big-money signings.
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