Kirstoffer Ajer could tell Jeremie Frimpong was going to be a Celtic star from the moment he first saw him at Lennoxtown.
The Norwegian international reckons the teenager’s fine form and consistency have contributed to his “incredible” start to life with the champions.
When Neil Lennon first caught sight of Frimpong playing for Manchester City in a development game, the boss noticed a talented kid with the potential to progress through his ranks from the club’s youth squads.
However, the 18-year-old’s Celtic performances within the first-team group have rocketed him to the fore even faster than the gaffer thought.
Frimpong has excelled among the big boys.
Settling with confidence and playing without fear, the right-back is fast becoming a key component of Lennon’s set-up.
Ajer has been blown away by his team-mate’s rapid ascent up the Parkhead ladder, yet it hasn’t come as any real shock given the kid has been impressing the senior stars since he first joined the group.
The Scandinavian said: “Jeremie has been fantastic since he came in the summer.
“Since the first training session he has proven himself as a top talent.
“The way he is training and working every day is to get better and better and you can see it in the games.
“He’s a really fantastic talent.
When you are young and go into a dressing room, you have to work your way into it but he has been incredible.
“You can see with the way he is playing consistently that it’s not just a one-off.
“It’s there every single time and that’s just incredible.”
Frimpong produced a man-of-the-match showing in the weekend win over Livingston to further elevate his growing status.
His dynamic attacking play was a feature of the 4-0 triumph over Gary Holt’s troops, while the clean sheet earned was also important given that, as a right-back, that’s the top priority.
It was the Hoops’ fifth straight game without concession in the Premiership and much of their stability has come from the partnership of Ajer and Christopher Jullien.
The last time Lennon’s men lost a goal in the league was in West Lothian when the Norwegian and the Frenchman were given a torrid time by Livi striker Lyndon Dykes in a 2-0 loss.
Ajer and Jullien learned their lesson with a strong showing against the striker this time around and the Norwegian believes the understanding is growing between the backline duo.
Dykes made sure they couldn’t don the shades from the club’s Christmas advert and chill out but they stood tough.
Ajer said: “The partnership with Christopher has been good. In the past couple of months we have barely conceded any goals and that’s what we want to keep doing.
“He is the one who likes to go up for every single challenge and I try to sweep up everything from behind that.
“It’s a really good partnership to have and we are learning more and more about each other.
“We have a big squad and the gaffer has brought in quality players.
“It’s an incredible team to be a part of because you know that you have to perform every single time or you will lose your spot in the side.”
In fairness, the defenders did not have much to do with the rest of the side keeping Livingston at arm’s length throughout Saturday’s win.
Odsonne Edouard, Scott Brown and James Forrest did the damage at the other end and Ajer was delighted that Celtic could return from the latest interational break with such an authoritative success.
He said: “It was good to come back with such a strong performance.
“We know there are a lot of big matches coming up and that we need to perform in all of them.”
Ajer, of course, will be unable to leave the international scene behind completely in the coming weeks.
It may be almost four months until he returns to represent Norway but the schedule could see him go in against team-mates such as Forrest, Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor with Scotland lined up to meet Ajer’s nation in the Euro 2020 playoff final.
Norway must beat Serbia in the semi-final, while Scotland have to take care of Israel before battle could commence.
However, Ajer realises it’s a possibility and he smiled before saying: “I know everything about Scotland!
“We (Norway) wanted two home games but we have to play Serbia first before we could face Scotland and they are going to be a tough opponent.
“Of course, there are around 300 games for Celtic before then so I have to focus on them first!
“But if we beat Serbia it is going to be tough in the final, even if it is a long way away. Right now, we are team-mates but we know that when the time comes in March, we might be playing against each other and it will be competitive.”
