Ajer is urged to keep on learning and ignore any summer transfer talk
STEFAN JOHANSEN has advised Kristoffer Ajer to ignore any overtures from Borussia Dortmund in favour of continuing his rapid development under Brendan Rodgers at Celtic.
Former Parkhead midfielder Johansen captained Norway as the 19-year-old Ajer made his international debut in a 4-1 win over Australia last month and revealed he offered some career advice to the teenager at the same time.
Ajer has made rapid strides at Parkhead this season, establishing himself as a regular in Rodgers’ team before Christmas and showing up well in big games against Zenit St Petersburg and today’s Scottish Cup semi-final opponents Rangers.
His emergence has not gone unnoticed and Dortmund have been credited with an interest in taking the athletic centre-back to the Bundesliga.
Ajer turns 20 on Tuesday and Johansen sees no need to rush into anything, especially while he continues to work under a manager who prides himself on developing young talent.
‘It doesn’t surprise me but even bigger clubs than Dortmund will have their eyes open for Kris,’ said Johansen. ‘I spoke to him during our time with the national team and told him that Celtic is the perfect place for him to be. Especially with Brendan.
‘I think he can learn a lot of things under Brendan because he has managed world-class players and knows what it takes to get to the top level.
‘So Kris just needs to stop these things going into his head. He needs to focus on the job and see where it takes him in the end.’
Johansen was still at Celtic when former manager Ronny Deila struck the deal to bring Ajer to Scotland from IK Start and he remained on the premises as his young compatriot checked in to begin pre-season training in the summer of Rodgers’ appointment. While Johansen was soon to move on to Fulham, Ajer trained with the Celtic first-team and was loaned out to Kilmarnock for the second half of last term. ‘I’m surprised at how quickly it has all happened for him,’ continued Johansen. ‘He is only 19 and yet he is at a massive club like Celtic. I’ve been there and I know the huge pressure that exists there, the desire to be in the Champions League and to win trophies. ‘He had a long way to go when he came into Celtic. The plan was that it would take time, maybe a year or two. But Brendan always believed in him.
‘Those few months I was there, Brendan looked like a brilliant manager who would get the best out of young players.
‘So from that point of view, I am not worried at all for Kris. He was, and is, in the right hands.
‘Physically he is a big guy, too. So we will see, he has a bright future.’
Norway failed to qualify for the World Cup but already look a stronger proposition for the appointment of Lars Lagerback, who took Iceland to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016.
Euro 2020 is the target and Johansen expects Ajer to play a big role.
He added: ‘Kris has come in to the Celtic team and looks like he has played there for years. It was the same with the national team — he came in and took responsibility.
‘He may be a teenager but if you are good enough you are old enough, and he showed that in those two games against Australia and Albania.
‘He was very good and he will be a big player for Norway in the future.
‘It was a great score, to beat Australia 4-1.
‘There are a lot of young players coming up and Kris looks like he has taken particularly big steps.’