Celtic looking to French connection against Astana

GLASGOW: Olivier Ntcham is aiming to emulate Moussa Dembele by becoming the latest French import to make an impact at Celtic.

The 21-year-old midfielder followed in the footsteps of his under-21 international team-mate as he made a £4.5 million ($5.8 million) move from Manchester City to the Scottish champions in the summer.

The firm friends' fledgling careers have followed similar paths since the pair from the suburbs of Paris met when they turned out together for the France under-16 side.

While Dembele's arrival in Glasgow came via a spell at English second-tier Championship side Fulham, Ntcham started out kicking a ball about the streets of Longjumeau -- a commune in the southern suburbs of the French capital -before turning out for Le Havre's under-23 side.

A move to English giants City materialised, but Ntcham failed to break his way into the first team and spent the last two seasons out on loan to Italian side Genoa.

His impressive displays in Serie A caught the eye of Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers, who persuaded him to make the move to Glasgow -- with a little help from Dembele.

"Moussa told me the club was good, it's big fun here," Ntcham revealed.

"I was 16, maybe even before, 14, when we first played together for the French national team. We always stay together." - AFP