Ukraine legend Andriy Shevchenko has heaped praise on compatriot and Celtic loan star Marian Shved for his continued development last season.
Shved – who moved to Parkhead from Ukrainian side Kaparty in January – was sent back out on loan to complete the campaign with his former club and ended up with a total of 15 goals and four assists from 26 appearances.
Those statistics earned the 22-year-old winger a call-up to the senior Ukraine squad for their Euro 2020 qualifiers against Serbia and Luxembourg, ahead of which Shevchenko – who scored 48 goals in 111 Ukraine games – was impressed with what he saw at a training camp.
“I’ve been watching him closely for the past two weeks in our training camp. It’s clear he has a lot of talent,” the 42-year-old told The Scottish Sun.
“There is still work to be done, but he has progressed hugely. He has just made a very big transfer for a massive club like Celtic and he is motivated to show them what he can do when he goes to Scotland.
“There’s no doubt he has improved a lot and he will go on to be a big player for Ukraine.”
OPINION
One thing is for sure: it will be very exciting for Celtic fans to get a proper look at Shved when he joins up properly with Neil Lennon’s side in the next few weeks. He has obviously continued to impress at Kaparty, despite this move to Parkhead being confirmed for some time now, and his performances have even earned him an international call-up once again. But to get high praise from Shevchenko is something else. The 42-year-old is a Ukraine legend and he will surely be getting Bhoys fans excited with these comments about Shved. The fact is, he is still only 21 and it could take some time for Shved to settle in at Celtic, given the size of the club and all that comes with securing a transfer there. But a lot eyes will be trained on the winger when he finally joins up with his new club side.