David Turnbull has been tipped to follow in the footsteps of Scott Brown at Celtic after joining the Hoops at the second attempt last week.
Former Motherwell star Jim Paterson reckons that the 21-year-old will be a big hit at Parkhead after his £3million switch from the Steelmen.
Ex-Fir Park favourite Paterson urged Neil Lennon to snap up the midfielder with English clubs lurking after his move collapsed last year.
After the deal was done, he now believes the Wishaw lad could fill the void left by the skipper in coming years with Brown set to be pushing 36 by the end of the season.
Paterson reckons Turnbull will turn into a ready-made replacement for the former Scotland skipper when he decides to call it a day - if the highly-rated new boy isn’t tempted by a future move south.
He told Lanarkshire Live Sport : “You look at it and David would have had options to move down to England, but he has gone to Celtic.
“He could look at this as a bit of a stepping stone, and that’s no disrespect to Celtic, but you look at the likes of Stuart Armstrong and Kieran Tierney who have left for a big move.
“Van Dijk moved to Southampton and then Liverpool and is now one of the best defenders in the world.
“However, he could end up at Celtic for the rest of his days.
“You look at Scott Brown and how he left Hibs to go on to become Celtic captain; there is no doubt there will have been major clubs sniffing about Broony at some stage, but he has stayed.
“If he progresses and plays in big games and will attract attention; he could go on to be a huge success for Celtic who will be looking to the future.
“Arsenal came in with a big money move for Tierney and he left because everything was right.
“Scott is probably looking towards the end of his career now, and someone like David could be the one to make the step up.”
Having been an unused substitute in the 3-0 defeat for the Steelmen at Parkhead, Paterson admits it could be a “culture shock” for Turnbull having left Lanarkshire after being the star man for so long.
The retired midfielder believes he is ready to make the step-up and will welcome demands of playing for the champions as they look to secure 10 titles in a row.
The 40-year-old added: “He will have been comfortable at Motherwell.
“David was the first name on the team sheet for Stephen Robinson, but he has a big challenge now.
“He will have to work to dislodge the likes of Scott Brown, Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie, and Oliver Nitcham so it’s a big ask.
“That will only make him a better player. He has a good mentality and came back from the injury and put the performances in, which earned him the move again.
“It’s no disrespect to Motherwell, but he will now have a chance to play for a bigger club in regular European games, as well as training week in week out at a top level.”
He added: “At Celtic, if he’s not performing, he won’t be playing, somebody will be there to take your place or they will sign everyone else.”
“I believe David has the talent, and the right mentality, to make the move a success and break into the team.”
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