‘JOZO SIMUNOVIC NOT THE NEW VAN DIJK,’ CRAIG GORDON
CRAIG GORDON has urged Celtic fans not to call Jozo Simunovic the new Virgil van Dijk.
The internation
Injury has disrupted the 21-year-old’s progress in the Hoops, but he has looked solid, uncompromising and commanding when he has been in the team and appears to bring out the best in fellow-New Bhoy Dedryck Boyata.
However, Gordon doesn’t think it is fair to compare him with the Dutchman who was sold to Southampton for a record £13million in August.
The 32-year-old shotstopper said: “Simunovic and Boyata have done well and, in the last few games together, have looked solid. The communication is coming on and I thought we looked a lot more solid against Kilmarnock.
“We coped pretty much with everything that was thrown at us. We restricted them to a couple of shots. To cope with Josh Magennis, who is a handful, and earn a clean sheet is one highlight we can take from it.
”I think Jozo’s a good player and a good signing. He’s so quick and you can see that when he gets back in to make some great recovery tackles. It’s a great attribute for a defender.
“He has got everything and he’s still a young boy. In training, he looks a solid defender and can be a good player for us.
“I think he can effectively replace Virgil. You will never get another like Virgil, who could also stick a free-kick in the top corner. He was a bit of a one-off.
“But Jozo can take the ball into the next third and play a pass and he’s quick, just as Virgil was for us. He’s strong in the tackle and decent in the air and, over time, he could be a very big player for us.”
Simunovic is likely to be in position when Ajax turn up at Parkhead for the must-win Europa League clash on Thursday.
Unfortunately, he lasted only a handful of minutes in the last European tie and the lack of his defensive presence was highlighted when Molde won 2-1. Many supporters at the match reckoned that Molde cynically targeted Simunovic’s injured angle.
Perhaps Ronny should keep the injury updates to a minimum rather than allowing this type of thing to happen again.
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