Rangers and Celtic transfer links to World Cup bound star addressed as rumours fronted up
Forward has been linked to both halves of the Old Firm
A World Cup-bound star has fronted up rumours linking him to Rangers and Celtic.
Elijah Just arrived at Premiership side Motherwell last summer after spells in Austria and Denmark, proving a hit in North Lanarkshire. He has netted seven goals with seven assists so far for the team that sit fourth in the league and rumours have linked him with summer switches to either side of the Old Firm.
Just is currently on international duty with New Zealand and the playmaker signed a two-year deal at Motherwell last summer, with an option to extend his contract into 2028. He has fronted up the speculation in a new interview, and while it isn’t a total surprise amid good form, links to the likes of Rangers and Celtic have been put to the side with current club and country matters closer at hand.
Rangers and Celtic rumours around Premiership star addressed
“Away from the pitch it's just been so easy to integrate into society,” Just said in an interview with FIFA. “Walking around Glasgow with different restaurants and events that are going on, because everything's in English, it's just so much easier. It really is like living a different life from when my girlfriend and I were in Denmark and Austria, where it's just so much more difficult when you don't understand what's going on.
“It also helps that we’re doing really well and when I bump into fans, a lot of them tell me that this is one of the best Motherwell teams they've seen, and my time at the club has exceeded all expectations.
“As for the speculation, I think that’s normal when you're doing well but I've still got so much football to play, including the World Cup this year, let alone the rest of my contract, so it's not something I'm thinking about at all.”
What are Elijah Just’s World Cup ambitions?
Just has been with New Zealand since debuting in 2019 and is almost certain to go with them to tournament football. They take on Iran, Egypt and Belgium at the World Cup this summer and his Scottish terminology is set to go with him to the finals as a boyhood dream stands ready to be realised.
“Let’s say that the [New Zealand] coach Darren Bazeley comes up to me and says that I need to go and man-mark someone on the corner post.” Just joked. “I’ll say, ‘I cannae do that.’ That’s the one piece of vocabulary that I’ve been trying to use more, how the locals here say that you cannot do something by using that slang word ‘cannae.’
“With the 2010 World Cup in South Africa I was waking up in the middle of the night to watch the games. Most of our current squad were young at that time and drew such inspiration from that group so it's incredible to know that we have an opportunity to create those lifelong memories for the next generation.”
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