In the high-pressure environment of Glasgow, Celtic fans have seen players arrive at the club and completely fail, especially those that have been signed as ‘projects’.
But it seems that Celtic target Elijah Just is anything but that. In fact, it appears that the young New Zealander is the real deal if Motherwell captain Stephen McGinn’s appraisal is anything to go by.
And what the Fir Park skipper said about Just should make Celtic supporters salivate at the prospect of the 25-year-old pulling on the green and white Hoops next season.
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Why Elijah Just is a perfect fit for Celtic
Just arrived at Motherwell last summer and has taken Scottish football by storm. So much so that he has caught the eyes of the Celtic scouting department.
And McGinn’s comments provide a profile that is a ringing endorsement of the Celtic target.
McGinn told The Herald, “He’s brilliant, absolutely brilliant. When you look at a player like that, a guy who is diminutive and left footed, you think, ‘He’s a flair player’. But he’s not.
“He’s a grafter, he works his socks off. I don’t know if the stats will back it this up, but he’s good at winning the ball back. He’s so good at it in fact.
“He’s so sharp. He’s such a clever footballer. He knows where to be and when to be there. I suppose if you’re that height you need to be, which is a shame.
“But, yeah, he’s an unbelievable footballer. When we went down to 10 men against Celtic… he moved to left-back and he was good, really good. You could see him grow in confidence.
“He was still going on runs. His goal was not a fluke either. You have seen him do it countless times. He is just absolutely immense. I would hate to lose him.
“But if he keeps playing like that then he doesn’t stay at Motherwell. Hopefully it’s not soon.”
The silk and steel Celtic look for in a winger
For a Celtic support that their wingers to get their bums off seats, McGinn’s description of a “grafter” who “works his socks off” is the ultimate green flag. A Celtic winger cannot simply wait for the ball, they must be the first line of defense.
The most striking part of McGinn’s testimony is Just’s adaptability. Performing at left-back in Motherwell’s defeat to Celtic while a man down speaks of a tactical intelligence that goes far beyond a project player.
McGinn has essentially confirmed that Just possesses the correct balance required to survive the scrutiny of Parkhead.
If a seasoned professional is this desperate to keep him at Fir Park, it’s a clear sign that Celtic should be doing everything to bring him to the East End.
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