Well boss hails Mbulu as the ‘new Kipre’
Stephen Robinson reckons Christian Mbulu has the potential to become the next Cedric Kipre for Motherwell.
Mbulu starred at the heart of the Well defence as they claimed yesterday’s win over St Johnstone.
His swiftness and power stood out as multiple Saints’ attackers bounced off him.
And Robinson believes, with work, Mbulu could be worth a fortune to the Steelmen.
“Christian is a young boy, very similar to what we signed Cedric Kipre as,” said Robinson.
“It took us a year to make Cedric a £1 million player.
“He has a long way to go, Christian, but he has added pace and strength to our back line.”
Mbulu wasn’t the only defensive star for Motherwell as Saints’ eight-game unbeaten run was ended.
Goalkeeper Mark Gillespie – in the Well side in place of deep vein thrombosis-stricken Trevor Carson – saved his second penalty in three games to deny the home side a first half strike, while Charles Dunne was a powerhouse just in front of him.
“Mark Gillespie is a number one goalkeeper,” said Robinson.
“We genuinely thought we would lose Trevor Carson and we can’t afford to run with two number ones.
“It was hard to keep him happy and unfortunate circumstances have given him his chance and he has been terrific.
“In terms of Charles, you can see how much we have missed him.
“No one is going to run away from him and he’s the quickest player I’ve worked with and he really adds to what we can do.”
Their contributions ensured Robinson’s side picked up a third away win of the season – and a first at McDiarmid Park since November 2012.
According to the Well boss, that statistic speaks volumes about Saints’ resoluteness.
“It’s not a surprise as it’s a very difficult place to come and credit to Tommy for the run his team have been on,” he said.
“They’re a hard team to play against and very difficult to break down.
“It was a really tough game, a really scrappy game and we picked a team accordingly.”