Craig Beattie has praised the abilities of Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths and claimed that he reminds him of Kevin Phillips.
The former Premier League striker played for a number of clubs during his career, including Sunderland, West Brom and Southampton.
Phillips, who retired from the professional game in 2014, produced his best goalscoring run when he scored 30 goals for Sunderland during the 1999/2000 Premier League season.
He then went on to represent England on the international stage, failing to score for his home country during his eight matches.
Beattie, who is a former Scotland international, thinks Celtic ace Griffiths has the same finishing ability that Phillips possessed during his career.
“Leigh can stretch defences,” said Beattie, as quoted by the Scottish Sun. “He will run the channels and work hard. I’ve been up to Lennoxtown and watched him training and his finishing is a joke. He’s as close as I’ve seen in my career to Kevin Phillips.”
Edinborough-born Griffiths recently concluded his club campaign by helping Brendan Rodgers side clinch a remarkable domestic treble.
The Bhoys finished off the Scottish Premiership season unbeaten by recording 106 points from their 38 matches, winning 34 of those encounters.
Over the course of the season, Griffiths played 24 league games for Rodgers, scoring 12 goals added with his one strike in the Scottish Cup.
Now, the former Wolves player will turn his attention to helping Scotland beat England in a crucial World Cup qualifier on Saturday at Hampden.
Gareth Southgate’s team beat their neighbours 3-0 during the reverse fixture in November, with Griffiths missing a number of guilt edge opportunities during that match.