Jeremie Frimpong says that his Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Florian Wirtz asked him about Celtic when he first joined the Bundesliga club.
Frimpong joined Leverkusen in January 2021, leaving Neil Lennon’s side during the dire 2020/21 campaign.
Since then, he has gone on to become a regular for Die Werkself and was even included in the Netherlands squad for the recent World Cup in Qatar.
Frimpong, who is still only 22, has been speaking about a range of issues to Madrid-based outlet Relevo.
Translated, he paid tribute to hot talent Wirtz, saying: “On a day-to-day basis, he’s exactly how you see him on the pitch. He is impressive. He plays like he’s been playing for 10 years. He’s intelligent.
“He’s also a great person. He was the first one who took care of me when I arrived at the club: he was my first friend. Flo asked me about Celtic, invited me to his house, we would go out for dinner.
“He did things to make me feel at home.”
Wirtz, a full Germany international, is still only 19 but widely expected to go to the top of the game over the next decade.
He netted the second goal in Leverkusen’s 4-0 win at Celtic Park last season.
Frimpong also spoke about his Celtic debut, in a League Cup win over Partick Thistle, saying: “I don’t know how to describe it, it was almost unreal.
“Let me get this straight, when I touched the ball for the first time it was like the ground was shaking.
“The atmosphere was spectacular, it was the best feeling you can have. I was a little scared at first, but then I felt the energy from everyone.”
It’s clear that Frimpong still has good things to say about Celtic, despite his final six months at the club being played in front of no fans.
He was a likeable player who produced some big moments for us. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see him play under Ange Postecoglou, but few Celtic fans are complaining about Alistair Johnston and Anthony Ralston right now.
In other news, Reo Hatate and Greg Taylor didn’t train for Celtic at Lennoxtown on Wednesday
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