Sean Maloney reckons Kieran Tierney's mentality puts him in the same bracket as some of the world's top defenders.
The former Celtic star has spoken in-depth about what makes the current Hoops hero one of the brightest prospects in Europe.
Tierney has been consistently linked with big-money moves to the English Premier League, with Arsenal and Manchester United just two of his admirers.
And Maloney believes it's the 21-year-old's belief in himself that sets him apart.
Maloney was the last player to scoop both Scotland's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Award in Scotland, but he believes Tierney could well be the next to achieve the feat.
"For sure you could see Kieran Tierney doing that," Maloney told Graham Hunter's Big Interview podcast.
Celtic and Rangers charged by SFA as Steven Gerrard and Scott Brown face bans
“I don’t know how old he is now but the level he was at before his injury problems, definitely. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he did manage to do that in the next few years.
“Working with the reserves I didn’t get to work with him too much, when I was at Celtic he was obviously a first-team player.
“Towards the end of my Scotland career he started coming into the squad and he’s got amazing heart.
“When you speak about the top defenders, Kieran shows similar traits in terms of backing himself one-on-one.
"He’s very very aggressive, technically sound, really good speed even in the attacking area.
Celtic vow to fight Scott Brown rap as club responds to SFA charges
"For Celtic he’s been a really good outlet on that left side, particularly the first season under Brendan (Rodgers) where he played really high and was exceptional.
“He’s obviously a massive Celtic fan, but behind that there’s his work at the training ground. He works with the coaches extremely hard to actually become a better defender in terms of position and technique and things.
“He looks like that elite defender that we speak about.”
