Australian hero Brett Emerton has tipped Celtic winger Daniel Arzani to secure a “big move” in the future after stating that the youngster had made an important mistake signing on at Parkhead.
The 19-year-old attacker joined the Bhoys on a two-year loan deal from Manchester City this summer after being linked with a move to a number of clubs, but has yet to make an appearance for the first team under Brendan Rodgers.
Speaking about his fellow countryman, Emerton, with his 95 international caps, insisted a move to Scotland was not in the forward’s best interests for his development and touted the Netherlands as a better destination.
He told Goal.com: “I think for his development it would’ve been a better move if I’m honest.
“I’m hopeful he’ll do well. I want our national team to do well and for that we need our players in the biggest leagues week in, week out. That should be his ambition.
“That’s not to say he can’t go to Celtic, spend one or two seasons performing well and get a big move from there.”
Opinion
It is too soon to judge whether Arzani has indeed made a mistake moving to Celtic at this stage of his career, but it must be said that the early signs are not looking great. He is yet to turn out for the first team at Parkhead which casts doubts over whether he is indeed good enough, and the hope will be that he comes on in leaps and bounds over the next couple of weeks to force his way into the senior setup. Whether he would have been given the opportunity to strut his stuff over in the Eredivisie is just speculation, but you can understand why Emerton might think it would be a better division for him. The quality is arguably higher than in Scotland, and with some clubs having Champions League and Europa League football, he might have been given a chance sooner than he has by Rodgers. Still, he is a long-term project for the Celtic boss and they will be hoping he can make a major contribution by the time his stint at the club does come to an end.