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'100 per cent' - Former Celtic defender says Rodgers must improve this area of team in summer
Former Celtic defender Rudi Vata is of the opinion that the Hoops must sign another centre-back in the summer.
He feels that they struggled to replace Virgil van Dijk since the big defender left the club in 2015 and has called on the Hoops scouting network to find a partner for Kristoffer Ajer, who he is confident will be a Hoops stalwart for many years to come.
“They do need a top-quality defender, 100 per cent” he said, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“Celtic need to find another like van Dijk and I’d imagine, if they do the right scouting, they can find one out in Europe.
“Without any doubt, I’m sure Ajer will grow into a big defender but he needs some help”.
The Hoops face a centre-back dilemma going into the Champions League qualifiers in July with Dedryck Boyata set to miss the start of the campaign as he will be at the World Cup with Belgium.
Football Insider verdict
Virgil van Dijk really was a class apart for the Hoops, none of the current centre-backs look anywhere close to landing a money-spinning move to the Premier League, As Rudi Vata outlines though, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t good players. He is right to talk up Kristoffer Ajer, who looks to have a massive future ahead of him after a great first season with the Hoops. Brendan Rodgers might well be reticent to bring in another defender though, as he will feel that with Dedryck Boyata still at the club, the aforementioned Ajer and the likes of Jack Hendry and Jozo Simunovic still available, that he has no need to bolster the Hoops backline. Fans would no doubt disagree though, and will be hopeful that one of the main signings made by the Hoops this summer is a centre-back that will help make the Champions League qualification process a lot easier than it has been.
In other Celtic news, Neil Lennon has provided an update on a Hoops transfer target
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