Celtic winger Mohamed Elyounoussi has backed his club and international colleague Kristoffer Ajer to succeed in the English Premier League if he made such a move in the future.
The Norway winger told TV2 [via Daily Record] that he believes his fellow countryman could prosper in “a bigger league”and has tipped him to move on from Celtic to fulfil his ambitions elsewhere.
Elyounoussi said to TV2 [via Daily Record]: “We’ll see how long we keep Kris. He’s been here a couple of years and done extremely well. I expect to see him in a bigger club in a bigger league.
“From what I have watched of him in the past and now on a daily basis and in combat, he is more than good enough for the Premier League.”
Elyounoussi is speaking from a position of experience, having played 16 Premier League games for his parent club Southampton last season.
Ajer has become a core member of Celtic’s line-up, making 98 appearances since 2016 and starting 18 of the Hoops’ first 20 matches this season.
The 21-year-old has proven to be a decent goal threat from defence, scoring twice and setting up one goal so far in 2019/20, while he has also demonstrated his versatility by playing seven games at right-back along with 11 in his more familiar centre-back role. [via TransferMarkt]
Ajer has shown in Celtic’s Europa League games that he can thrive on the big stage – he made three successful tackles and three clearances, as well as having an 87.1% passing success rate, in the draw against Rennes; while he won six aerial duels in the win over CFR Cluj last week, the joint-most of anyone on the pitch. [via WhoScored]
However, the Norway defender can sometimes be culpable of slackness in possession – he only had a 64.7% passing success rate in the CFR Cluj game, while his loss of possession culminated in Livingston’s first goal against the Hoops on Sunday, which drew strong criticism from some Celtic fans, as noted by 67hailhail.com.
While Ajer could stand to improve his ball retention, he has proven to be a trusted and adaptable member of Celtic’s defence, and Lennon will likely be reluctant to lose him seeing as he has started 90% of their matches this term.
However, with the likes of Kieran Tierney and Virgil van Dijk using successful spells at Celtic to earn moves to the Premier League with Arsenal and Liverpool respectively, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Ajer does the same, provided he can continue to perform consistently for the Hoops.
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Celtic fans, do you think Ajer will move to a Premier League club in the foreseeable future? How big of a loss would he be if he did leave? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!
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