Kristoffer Ajer will be crucial to Celtic’s chances of beating their Old Firm rivals on Sunday.
Michael Stewart had lauded the ‘powerful’ Kristoffer Ajer and stated that he should stay at Parkhead because Celtic is a ‘great place’ for him at this stage of his career.
The 21-year-old is a highly-rated talent, who is a natural centre-back, but he has been utilised at right-back recently, including during Celtic’s 3-1 win over Hearts at the weekend.
Speaking to Sportscene on BBC One Scotland (26/08/2019 at 12:00 am), Stewart shared his thoughts on Ajer’s recent performance as he was then asked about his future.
“Powerful running [from Ajer]. Defending well to begin with [against Hearts]. He’s an outlet. He’s such an athlete,” Stewart told Sportscene. “But he has got that defensive instinct. He’s not just a modern-day fullback, who wants to go and attack.
On hoping Ajer doesn’t leave: “No, he’s at a stage in his career where I think Celtic is a great place for him. He’s playing regularly and learning the game.
“He’s obviously playing a different position at right-back, but he suits it and he can play there comfortably. He’s a big, big player now.”
Ajer is perhaps going to be Neil Lennon’s most important player from a defensive standpoint over the duration of this campaign.
The main reason is the quality he possesses in his locker and then it’s his ability to play in various defensive positions, which is crucial, especially for a Celtic team that hasn’t exactly set the world alight from the back this season.
On Thursday, Celtic will travel to Sweden to take on AIK in their Europa League qualifier before returning to Scotland for that all-important Old Firm clash.
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