Former Celtic ace Frank McAvennie has called on the club to sign centre-back Filip Benkovic on a permanent deal, claiming the 21-year-old can emulate Virgil van Dijk’s rise to the top of the game.
Benkovic arrived at Parkhead in the summer on a season-long loan from Leicester City, with the 6’4″ Croatia youth international [Transfermarkt] putting in a string of top performances to catch the eye so far.
McAvennie has now raved about the youngster’s impact in Glasgow so far and made some big claims about how far he can go in the future.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, McAvennie said: “I have always been a big advocate of getting the defence sorted out and getting a solid back four. Benkovic has come in and, boy, what a great player. He’s going to go all the way to the very top. He will be just like Virgil van Dijk and that’s the type of players Celtic should be getting.
“I know Benkovic is on loan, but I would love for us to buy him. If you were to spend £15m on the boy now, you would get a minimum of £25m and also a few years out of him, plus an add-on when he moves on again.”
OPINION
Benkovic is the name on everyone’s lips at Parkhead at the moment, and that is no surprise. The Leicester-owned enforcer has been mightily impressive since he arrived in the summer, and really does look like a player who could solve Celtic’s defensive issues in the long-term. The Hoops backline looks much more solid when he is playing, and they badly miss him when he is not. For a player who is just 21 years old and who has limited first-team experience that is seriously admirable, and it is easy to see why he is a player attracting a lot of attention at the moment. McAvennie’s suggestion that he could emulate van Dijk is a big statement nonetheless, but still one you cannot dismiss. It is also no surprise to see him call on the club to try and sign Benkovic permanently, with many others suggesting the same, but Celtic will find that extremely hard to do. Benkovic’s form has already led to claims Leicester may recall him in January, and it would surely take a huge bid to pry him away from the King Power, where he is so highly-rated.