The winger joined German side RB Leipzig from Nottingham Forest at the end of August.
Mark McGhee, speaking to the Daily Mail, believes Oliver Burke could become as iconic for the national team as Kenny Dalglish.
Scottish football has seen many names fail to live up to the hype when compared to great players, like John Fleck and Wayne Rooney, Steve Fulton and Roberto Baggio and Ryan Gauld and Lionel Messi.
McGhee, the manager of Motherwell and assistant to Gordon Strachan, has watched Burke closely, following his rise into the senior Scotland squad.
The teenager made his first international start as Scotland’s World Cup qualifying campaign got off to a perfect start with a 5-1 win over Malta earlier this month.
And McGhee reckons Burke is on the brink of greatness, likening his impact to that of a young Robbie Keane at Wolverhampton Wanderers and insisting that he could even become an international icon, reaching the heights of Dalglish, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
“From the first day I saw him I was staggered by how good a player he was — just his physicality, his athleticism, and in particular his speed. He is a hugely exciting player for the supporters to see,” McGhee told the Daily Mail.
“For the supporters, they have been looking for this iconic player for some time — since Kenny maybe, I don’t know, but this boy could be that and I would recommend to young supporters particularly and parents who want to get their kids on board, then this is the boy who might do it for us.”
While Gareth Bale, another player to whom Burke has been compared, helped drag Wales all the way to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, the Leipzig man represents the most exciting player and the one who is most likely to emulate the Real Madrid star in the Scottish ranks.
Even at just 19, he is already the most expensive Scottish footballer in history, having sealed a £13m move from Nottingham Forest to Bundesliga newcomers RB Leipzig.
Burke marked his debut by setting up his side’s 89th-minute winner against Borussia Dortmund from off the bench on Saturday.
His explosive introduction to German football acts as another step towards making his name in his new league and getting closer to justifying McGhee’s bold claim.
If Burke can come close to the standards of Dalglish, there is no doubt he will have fulfilled his potential.
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