Neil Lennon praises Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer

kristoffer-ajer-pre-season-v-celje-in-slovenia_3493988
kristoffer-ajer-pre-season-v-celje-in-slovenia_3493988

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has showered heaps of praise on young defender Kristoffer Ajer, saying he is an outstanding player.

The 21-year-old has gradually developed into a key player at Celtic Park since joining the club in 2016, and this season he is expected to play a big role for Celtic.

The versatile defender, who can also play as a right-back, was outstanding against Motherwell at Fir Park as Celtic won the game 5-2.

The young defender got his name on the score sheet and overall produced a brilliant performance earning rave reviews from his teammates and his manager.

Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths has compared him with Liverpool’s world-class centre-back Virgil van Dijk, while Lennon has said that Ajer should aspire to be like the Dutch defender.

“I wouldn’t like to make comparisons with Van Dijk because he’s the best defender in the world,” said Lennon to the Scottish Sun.

“If Kris wants to aspire towards that then brilliant.

“He is playing so consistently and I don’t think he’s missed a minute of any league game for me.

“It’s not ideal asking him to play at right-back because we’ve had to change the back four. But it shows his quality. He doesn’t just fill in and get by, he’s outstanding.”

The Bhoys, who won back to back domestic trebles, have started their 2019/20 Scottish Premiership campaign on a high having won their opening two games comfortably.

They enjoyed 49% of possession and only managed five shots on target. Interestingly, all those resulted in goals which show how clinical they were.

Arrow to top