Celtic have their own Ousmane Dembele on their hands as Brendan Rodgers told to consider position change
Celtic made a move for the attacker in the summer transfer window.
Brendan Rodgers has been urged to change one of his summer signing’s position by his mentor back home.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha signed for the Hoops towards the end of the transfer window from Royal Antwerp in Belgium. Traditionally a winger, boss Rodgers is light on options up front, with Kelechi Iheanacho, Johnny Kenny and Shin Yamada his recognised options, and Daizen Maeda able to fill in up front.
Philippe Montanier has plenty of European managerial experience at clubs like Real Sociedad and Nottingham Forest. He has also been at Standard Liege and that is where he handed Balikwisha his maiden senior appearance. In time at Rennes, Ballon D’Or winner Ousmane Dembele was another that Montanier managed to welcome into the senior football environment. Speaking to the Scottish Sun, the experienced coach named the similarities that both players possess in their game but reckons Balikwisha would benefit from moving out of his natural left winger role and through the middle.
Brendan Rodgers told to make Celtic position change
He said: “Mickey is good technically and has the capacity to play different roles. He can play left or right, and I also used him as a central striker quite a lot when I coached him. Mickey was good in that position because he also has the intelligence to drop deeper and play behind a number nine.
“He has a high IQ when it comes to football, and people always asked what his best position was. That can be a problem with versatile attacking players. They can help in various roles and they ended up playing all across the front line. Personally, I like Mickey as a number nine where he can score goals and press from the central area, a little like Ousmane Dembele.
“I coached him at Rennes when he started out, and he then went on to play a lot as a winger for different clubs. However, I felt Ousmane always had the qualities to be a central attacker and he is showing that at PSG now.
Why Michel-Ange Balikwisha signed for Celtic
“Mickey’s best position could also be through the middle because he has the pace, workrate and the intelligence to link the play. It depends on what the Celtic manager’s philosophy and game plan is, but he can definitely be successful in that role.”
The Belgian said of his move to Celtic in the summer: “For me, it’s the right move because it’s a big club, they play well and they dominate the league. I’m a player who likes to press and to give everything so I think it’s the right choice to come here to continue like I did at my former club.
“I’m here to help the team, to get some trophies, to play in Europe and win everything, so that’s why I’m here. I’m a guy who likes to run deep, to have the ball at my feet, to come inside and to score, so that’s why I hope the fans will be happy to see me here and I will give everything for the club.”