Celtic striker Oliver Burke’s potential has been widely acknowledged in the past, but today, Brendan Rodgers has described him as “frightening”.
The Hoops booked their place in the Scottish Cup quarter-final this afternoon. A 5-0 hammering of St Johnstone saw to that, with many deserving of real praise post-match.
Scott Brown dominated the midfield once again, whilst Scott Sinclair fired home yet another hat-trick.
But Rodgers chose to focus on the performance of Burke when speaking post-game. Clearly delighted with the performance of the on-loan West Bromwich Albion star, Rodgers told the BBC (16:03) that Burke’s potential was through the roof.
“He’s got huge potential, his running ability, his touch, he’s just getting back to playing football regularly again.
“His run for Scotty’s second is frightening really, that pace – at any level of the game takes people out of it.
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“His square ball for it was sublime. He’s getting better and better – his all round game.”
Burke looks like a man on a mission
The Scotland international is starting to seriously show why so much money has been splashed out on him. West Brom spent £15million to lure him to the Hawthorns, and on days like these, that’s a snip.
The attacker was the catalyst for Sinclair’s first two goals and gave St Johnstone so much to think about. His directness was too much for Saints’ defence, whilst his touches are improving all the time.
Burke is now managing to use all of his natural traits to sensational effect. His pace and power remain his main attributes, and he’s combining them to dominate Premiership back-lines.
Added to that, Burke’s final ball is also getting better. Already, he looks twice the player that started the 3-0 win over Airdrieonians in the first match after returning from Dubai. Rodgers is clearly working his magic on the former Leipzig man, and Celtic are seeing the results of it.
Supporters can now get excited about what Burke could potentially produce on Thursday night. One thing’s for sure – he’s going to be needed.