Elijah Just has become the latest SPFL player to be linked with Celtic.
The New Zealander has excelled for Motherwell this season, establishing himself as one of the key players for a side taking the league by storm under Jens Berthel Askou.
Celtic are preparing for their summer recruitment in a process led by Shaun Maloney, with the identity of the next manager yet to be established.
Two crucial situations in this situation are: what if that next manager is Askou, and what impact would Just have on Celtic’s squad?
Jens Berthel Askou to Celtic: do you see it happening?
Elijah Just, Benjamin Nygren, Jens Berthel Askou and Celtic
Just is a left-footed player, playing in a pretty expressive attacking role in Askou’s system.
The Motherwell boss ensures that his full-backs hold provide the width and midfielders maintain structure, allowing creative players like Just, Ibrahim Said and Callum Slattery to move around the pitch.
READ MORE: Revisiting Miguel Chaiwa’s dominant display vs Celtic as Hibs man targeted
It’s fair to say that this has brought out the best in Just – only league top-scorer Tawanda Maswanhise has more goal involvements than him for the Steelmen this season.
Could Just link up with Benjamin Nygren? Similarly to Maswanhise, the Swede has become most reliable source of goals by far.
Given how the two play, let’s wait and see. Just is not used to playing with a midfielder like Nygren, and the same is true vice-versa.
Askou remains many people’s favourite for the Celtic hotseat… Motherwell’s form this season, over the last four months, it’s hard to argue against his candidacy for the role.
One thing that Askou and Just share in common is that neither is likely to be short of suitors this summer, from Scotland and beyond.
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Scottish Premiership players on Celtic’s radar
Martin O’Neill and Mark Fotheringham were seen scouting Motherwell in January, with many assuming that Maswanhise could’ve been of interest- it could well have been Just, given recent reports.
Luke Graham is also on the Hoops’ radar, but Celtic are not the only Glasgow club in the race for the Dundee defender, who saw multiple bids from England knocked back in January.
Two Hibs midfielders have also been linked with Celtic – Josh Mulligan and Miguel Chaiwa, who have both been revelations in their debut seasons at Easter Road.
Whilst Falkirk have denied rumours that Celtic pushed for Calvin Miller in January, some in the media insisted that a deal came within hours of completion, and could be reignited in the summer.
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