KRISTOFFER Ajer has insisted he has improved as a player at Celtic in the past two seasons despite only featuring sporadically in the first team - and predicted the imminent arrival of Marvin Compper will ensure he develops even further.
Ajer helped the Parkhead club keep clean sheets in the two home games they played last week following their 4-0 defeat to Hearts a Tynecastle – a result which ended their record-breaking 69 game undefeated domestic run.
The 19-year-old Norwegian, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Kilmarnock, ensured Brendan Rodgers’s side didn’t concede a goal in their Ladbrokes Premiership victories over Partick Thistle on Wednesday evening and Aberdeen on Saturday.
The defender, who joined in a £650,000 transfer from Start in his homeland last summer, has struggled to get a game ahead of Nir Bitton, Dedryck Boyata, Mikael Lustig, Jozo Simunovic, Erik Sviatchenko and Kieran Tierney in recent months.
The signing of former German international Compper from Bunesliga club RB Leipzig for £1 million last week will increase competition for places at the Scottish champions even further.
But Ajer, who has switched from being a midfielder to a defender since arriving in Glasgow, is hopeful that he will benefit from the presence of the vastly-experienced 32-year-old in 2018.
“I think there are fantastic centre-halves here and that’s why I’m developing here,” he said. “I’m learning every single day from all of them in training and listening to what they tell me. It’s really good to play beside them now.
“There will be greater competition next month, but that’s how it is to be at Celtic. It’s a great squad where everyone wants to play and that pushes you to play your best every game. It’s a really good place to be.
“The players, the staff and the gaffer have done an amazing job for me. Since I came in I have developed so much this year. It was really good for me to go out on loan to Kilmarnock to get gametime there. I’ve settled really well. It’s really easy - especially now I understand the Scottish as well!"
Ajer added: “To be fair, when your 19 you just have to take all the games you can get and do as well as you can. I know there are fantastic centre-halves at this club who want to play too so it’s difficult to break into the team. When you get into the team you have to perform.
“I’ve moved to centre-half, too, so I’ve needed to learn all the moments in there and the system the gaffer is playing as well. So I really feel I’ve settled in now. There are great bunch of lads in the dressing room. I’m training hard every day and it really helps me a lot.
“I must admit, I’ve developed a lot more than I thought in 2017. That just signifies the big club that Celtic are, they’re helping me so much every single day. We’re watching clips of every game to learn positioning, what I could have done better and what was good. That helps me a lot. I’m feeling much better. My fitness – I’ve bulked up a bit - my understanding of the position is better as well.
“The club has signed Marvin Compper which means there will be more competition for places. But he’s a great player who has done brilliant things in the Bundesliga. It will only help me a lot to see how he plays and learn from him.”
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