Former manager warns Celtic about one Lazio player

Celtic will host Lazio at Parkhead on Thursday when the two sides meet in the group stage of the Europa League. And Neil Lennon’s men have been sent a warning about one Lazio star in particular by one of his former managers.

Celtic have made an impressive start to their Europa League campaign and currently sit at the top of their group with four points from the first two games. Neil Lennon’s men followed up a solid draw away to Rennes with a spectacular win over CFR Cluj at Celtic Park and will play hosts to Italian giants, Lazio, on Thursday.

Lazio’s start to the season has not been as impressive as their Scottish opponents. They currently sit on seventh on the Seria A table after managing only 12 points from their first 8 league games of the season. But that does not mean that Celtic can take the Italians lightly when they come visiting, as they still have a lot of firepower in their squad.

Ciro Immobile has been one of the most consistently brilliant players in Italy since joining Lazio and already has scored 10 goals in just 8 starts for the Roman club this season. While Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Europe and has been consistently linked with a move away to Europe’s biggest clubs. Joaquin Correa will also pose significant threat to the Scottish Champions.

But it is the afformentioned Milinkovic-Savic who Celtic have been warned about by one of his former managers.

Alex Rae enjoyed a solid career over England and Scotland. The Scot played for the likes of Millwall, Sunderland, Wolves, Rangers and Dundee before turning to management. And he got the chance to work with a young Sergej Milinkovic-Savic while serving as the assistant manager to Alex McLeish at Belgian side, Genk.

The Serbian midfielder spent only a solitary season at Genk as a teenager but that was enough to convince Rae about his qualities as a footballer. Heading into Thursday’s game, Rae told the Scottish Sun:

"“Every day we’d get the team together and have shooting competitions. He had a laser shot and you wouldn’t want to give him too much time and space from distance. The power he had was unbelievable.“Sergej had a zest for the game. I used to watch Sergej shoot and burst the net. I’m not exaggerating. This big guy was frightening with the power he generated. I can categorically say if Milinkovic-Savic connects with one he’ll take big Fraser Forster into the net with it!“One of the things big Alex McLeish and I identified was that he was someone who wanted to get forward. The middle to front stuff came very easy for him because he was keen to score.”"

While Rae’s claims about the Serbian’s power are a bit exaggerated, there is no denying the fact that he is certainly a major goal threat. Despite playing in a defensive midfield position, he has scored 33 goals in his Lazio, even scoring 14 goals in the 2017/18 season.

When Celtic face Lazio on Thursday, the Scottish champions cannot afford to give Milinkovic-Savic much time or space on the ball. Or the consequences could be catastrophic.

Celtic will be face Lazio at home in the Europa League on Thursday. Here’s how to watch the match on TV and live stream.