David Turnbull should snub Celtic to join a ‘massive club’ in the shape of Stoke City, former Motherwell teammate Lionel Ainsworth has told Lanarkshire Live, via the Daily Record.
A will-they-won’t-they saga with more breaks ups than Ross and Rachel is back on north of the border.
The Daily Record claims that Celtic have not given up hope of luring Turnbull to Parkhead, 12 months after his £3 million move to Glasgow fell through thanks to a failed medical.
But while the Scottish champions fought off competition from Norwich at the time, it remains to be seen whether they can repeat the trick this summer.
Turnbull, the Football Writer’s Young Player of the Year in 2019, has offers on the table now from Newcastle United and one of the biggest underachievers in British football – struggling Stoke City.
On paper at least, it would take a brave man to reject the guaranteed silverware on offer at Celtic for a team sitting just a point above the Championship relegation zone.
But, according to Ainsworth, Turnbull should take the John McGinn route instead and look to prove himself on a bigger stage.
“Yes, he’s got suitors in Scotland who were interested in him, but he’s got to look at it as an opportunity to go to a massive club who have underachieved in the past couple of years,” Ainsworth says, comparing the 20-year-old to a £50 million-rated Aston Villa star.
“In my opinion, it’s an opportunity he should take.
“He has to step out of his comfort zone; look at John McGinn. It’s absolutely amazing.
“At one point they were talking about Manchester United, now why can’t David Turnbull go and do that? I believe he can.
“I think it’s an opportunity he can’t pass up. He could go to Celtic or other teams in Scotland, but it’s a short career, you have to show what you’re about in that time.”
Injuries restricted Turnbull to just 36 minutes of league football in 2019/20 – perhaps explaining why Celtic backed out of a deal at the eleventh hour – but his breakthrough campaign at Motherwell shows why so many clubs are willing to overlook his fitness problems.
Turnbull produced 16 goals and seven assists in 2018/19, from central midfield no less.
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