‘ARZANI COULD SLOT RIGHT IN FOR CELTS’

AUSSIE teenage sensation Daniel Arzani can slot straight into the Celtic first team – if he keeps on playing the street football that helped him clinch a place at Russia 2018.

That was the prediction from former Socceroos player and current Fox Sports television pundit Ned Zelic today as Arzani edged closer to a move to the Scottish champions.

The Melbourne City winger is set to join Manchester City in a £1.5million transfer in the coming days and then be loaned out to Celtic for the next two seasons.

The Iran-born 19-yearold only made his A-League debut back in January, but he did well enough to earn a call-up to his national team for the World Cup finals this summer.

Zelic, the former Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt and Auxerre defender, has seen a great deal of Arzani in action at both club and international level, including i n the World Cup, in the last seven months.

H e believes the

attacking midfielder is good enough to become a regular for Brendan Rodgers – if he persists with the dribbling game that has won him so many admirers.

“I don’t think he will be a long-term project for Celtic,” he said. “He has blossomed into a really exciting player this year.

“He is only 19, but we have seen players perform at the highest level in Europe at that age. I don’t think he needs time to adapt. I think he has shown enough already to suggest he is ready.

“He will be playing for the best quality team in Scotland by far and will have top-class teammates around him.

“It will be interesting to see how he copes in the Champions League if Celtic get through to the group stages, but I am sure he will relish the chance.

“I joined Borussia Dortmund when I was 21. I had nothing to lose so I played my normal game and it worked. If Daniel can keep playing the street football he’s been playing without a care in the world he can go to the next level.”