IT’S DAVID’S TURN TO BE MAIN MAN
Barry Ferguson had a star-studded Rangers team built around him by Dick Advocaat.
Owen Coyle hopes David Turnbull is afforded the same by the next Celtic manager.
Coyle believes Neil Lennon’s replacement will be thrilled to discover a young gem at the heart of his midfield — just like Advocaat was on arrival at Ibrox in 1998.
Ferguson, then 20, was moulded by the Dutchman into a top class midfielder for club and country.
Coyle is convinced Turnbull has all the class to ensure his career follows a similar path.
Coyle, a Motherwell player when Ferguson ran the show for Rangers, said: “Dick Advocaat recognised straight away what he had in Barry.
“Barry was one of the best of his generation. He could do a bit of everything. He was very much a playmaker but also a fantastic finisher – something we’ve all seen Turnbull do many times.
“Goals win you games and this kid is only going to get better at that.
“Turnbull’s physical attributes are there too – an unbelievable engine, he goes box-to-box.
“He’s a team player who works his socks off. A manager’s dream.
“The new man at Celtic will look at Turnbull as Advocaat looked at
Barry and think, ‘This boy has so much potential and so much quality.’
“He’ll be delighted, first and foremost, to see he’s already got an exceptional talent in the middle of the park.
“But the exciting thing is he’ll think: ‘I can make him better.’ Just like Advocaat did by guiding Barry’s career so much in those first couple of seasons.”
Turnbull’s excellent form in 27 appearances for Celtic is proof he has made a full recovery from the knee surgery that delayed his transfer from Motherwell.
Coyle said: “That tells me straight away that this kid has unbelievable mental strength.
“It’s not only the injury but the timing of it – on the brink of him signing for Celtic.
“When you’ve had a serious injury, you don’t come back, click your fingers and everything falls into place.
“It probably takes six, nine months to get back up to speed, so he’s going to be even better next year.
“He’s been a shining light in a disappointing season for Celtic. He’s thought: ‘I’m going to be a top player for this club.’
“But, as we all know, it doesn’t just take ability to play for Celtic. It takes a huge mental capacity.
“Over the years we’ve seen fantastic players go to Celtic and Rangers who don’t have the mentality to deal with the demands.
“David Turnbull has it and he’s going to be such a strong player for Celtic for many seasons to come.”
The former Bolton and Burnley gaffer is convinced clubs in the English top flight have already started compiling reports on Turnbull.
He added: “There’s no doubt Premier League clubs will be keeping an eye on how well David has been doing.
“He’s going to be an outstanding star for club and country.
“When you’ve energy to go box-to-box and score as he does, players like that are worth an absolute fortune.
“And he will be. That £3million investment in Turnbull is going to look fantastic. He’s shown he will way surpass that value – in fact, he’s done it already.”