Celtic take 20-year-old ‘great asset’ linked with Rangers on trial

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It’s been confirmed that Thomas Robert has spent time on trial at Celtic during the past two weeks.

The 20-year-old, whose father is the former PSG and Newcastle winger Laurent, has repeatedly been linked with the top two sides in Scottish football.

As recently as January, Record Sport reported that the Frenchman had been the subject of attention from Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Dundee United.

Having joined Airdrie from Montpellier in the summer, the midfielder has turned in a series of impressive performances.

Speaking to Record Sport, Diamonds boss Ian Murray confirmed that Robert has been in Glasgow on trial.

He said: “I can provide clarity on Thomas being in with Celtic and training with them.

“It’s brilliant for him personally and brilliant for the club because it shows that we are doing something right.

“It was a no-brainer to let him go on trial with Celtic. It was a chance for Thomas to showcase himself and train with top level players and coaches.

“He was in a top level training environment which is second to none. He was working with top players and for any footballer, it’s an exciting time time to do that.

“It’s testament to Thomas, his teammates and the club because we are starting to build those connections.

“We are taking young players in and improving them which is our model. Thomas has grabbed lots of headlines and he’s a great asset to us.

“Thomas is now back with us, he’s been tested and trained with us yesterday. He’s adapted to everything that we’ve asked him to do exceptionally well.”

Celtic saw their 10-in-a-row dreams ended on Sunday with a 0-0 draw against Dundee United, but Callum McGregor has vowed to come back stronger next season.

The 27-year-old midfielder is among a number of Celtic players who have struggled to hit their previous heights during the current campaign, and he told Sky Sports that watching Rangers celebrate should serve to motivate the deposed champions.

He said: “We’ve been so used to success and when you experience this it’s sore, everyone sees it. To watch them lift the trophy will be sore and will fuel the fire for next season.

“Everyone’s hurting. The fans will be hurting as well. It’s the end of that nine in a row, but we have to come again.

“The reason we’ve been so good is when we faced setbacks we’ve come back even stronger, so where we are at the moment, we have to look at ourselves, get better in training, and come again next season.

“That’s what champions do.”