WHEN Dedryck Boyata arranged to train with the kids at a youth academy on the outskirts of Brussels one summer eight years ago he was simply hoping to improve his fitness levels ahead of his return to Manchester City for pre-season.
Instead of sweating off a few unwanted pounds, however, he found himself being mesmerised by the uniquely gifted 12-year-old who was working out alongside him and spent the entire session enquiring about who he was.
The youngster who so captivated the centre half that day was Charly Musonda - the Chelsea playmaker who Celtic are on the verge of signing.
Not surprisingly given his knowledge of a player who is considered by many in his homeland, where Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku have all risen to prominence in the past decade, to be the future of Belgian football, he is excited at the prospect of Musonda joining him at the Scottish champions now.
“I can tell you the story about how I know him,” said Boyata. “It was the holidays. I came back to Belgium to get ready for pre-season. In the north of Brussels there is an academy and I went there one day to train with the under-12s and under-13s with my friend.
“I was already thinking about going back to pre-season training with Man City. I needed to train really hard. He was there and I trained him with him. I was much older than him. I was 18 at the time.
“But he was unbelievable. I kept asking who he was. I played with his older brothers (Lamisha and Tika) for the under-21 national team. He was playing for Anderlecht at the time and went on to sign for Chelsea.”
No first team opportunities at Stamford Bridge, though, have arisen since Musonda arrived in London aged just 17 back in 2013 and he is now looking to make a move that will kickstart his career after a successful loan spell at Real Betis in Spain last year.
Celtic have enjoyed great success bringing in players with an identical profile to the Belgian – young, possessing enormous potential, but in need of competitive football – in recent years and their manager Brendan Rodgers is excited about the possibility of him arriving.
So, too, is Boyata. He hasn’t spoken to his compatriot, who is under contract with the English champions until 2019 and will cost in the region of £5 million to capture, about the prospective switch. But he will have nothing but positive things to tell him if and when he does.
Asked if he knew anything about the interest in his friend, he replied: “Well, I saw him. He hasn’t really told me anything because in his position players don’t really want to be talking about stuff if it’s not confirmed.
“If he asks I will say it’s a great place to be. Lately for me Celtic has been very good and if anyone asks me my situation today I can only be positive.
“The Champions League nights are unbelievable. For myself I think everyone should see that experience. You need to be at Celtic Park on Champions League night. But I can tell you that I’ve told him that already.”
Celtic have made huge sums of money from buying and selling young overseas and English players in the past decade. Collectively, Fraser Forster, Gary Hooper, Ki Sung-Yueng, Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama banked them profits of over £25 million.
Moussa Dembele, who cost just £500,000 from Fulham last year, will also net them a tidy sum should the French striker, as he is widely expected to, joins a Premier League club down south in the near future. The 20-year-old has been valued at £30 million.
Boyata believes Musonda, who is also 20, could be the latest acquisition who Celtic cash in on. He emphasised, though, that that attacking midfielder, who can also play as a winger, needs, like many of those who have come before him, to develop further as a player.
Asked if he would one day be worth a lot of money, the Belgian internationalist said: “If I had to bet I would say yes. But you have to confirm that on the pitch. From what I’ve seen he is a very, very talented player. When we talk about the future of Belgian football his name is there. That tells you all you need to know.”
Boyata himself has started to show what he is capable of after enduring a difficult first season Celtic. He made a mistake which cost his side a goal in the pre-season friendly against Rapid Vienna in Austria on Saturday. But his error can be attributed to rustiness. He has heady ambitions for the coming season. Going with Belgium to the World Cup finals in Russia next year is among them.
“I always take it step by step,” he said. “But playing in the World Cup would be a big dream for me. I want to have good preparation and a good season and see what happens after that. Missing out on Euro 2016 through injury was the biggest disappointment. It was very sad. It’s in the past now. As a player I can only say that, of course, I am dreaming of the World Cup.”
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