Germany boss Jurgen Klopp has been full of praise for Celtic midfielder Mika Baur. The German midfielder made his senior Germany debut on Thursday night, coming off the bench during a 2-0 win over Serbia in the UEFA Nations League.
Baur played an important role to help Paderborn win promotion to the Bundesliga last season, but he did not stick around to play a season in the top tier. Instead, he joined Celtic and was immediately thrown into the deep end.
Baur, who is a ball-playing midfielder, has been asked to play in the pivot role alongside Callum McGregor due to Arne Engels not being replaced, and he has had to develop the physical side of his game quickly.
That's something Klopp has acknowledged, describing the Scottish Premiership as the "nastiest league in the world."
He added on the back of Baur's debut: "To establish yourself there with those physical attributes and put yourself through all of that, that’s something really special.
“We’ve really seen now that he's a wonderful footballer. There is a player at a multiple-time Champions League winner who constantly reminds me of him. Not just in terms of his appearance, but also in terms of his overall qualities.”
Klopp didn't actually name the player, which is frsutrating, but Baur will appreciate the comp[arison in any case, and he may even have been told who that player is. If he hasn't, he surely will have asked.
Celtic will be pleased with what they have got in Baur, especially for a fee of around £4.3million. How they best fit him into Martin O'Neill's system remains unclear, given there is a lack of presence in the midfield.
But credit to Baur, he has become more scrappy already, and you do have to admire his willingness to call for and get onto the ball even in seemingly tricky circumstances.
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