Celtic-linked striker draws comparisons to Henrik Larsson

Celtic-linked Luke Baartman has been likened to Parkhead hero Henrik Larsson.

Brendan Rodgers is said to be interested in the 17-year-old South African wonderkid.

Cape Town Spurs technical director Sean Connor has compared Baartman’s attacking abilities to those of Larsson and Craig Bellamy.

Connor gave Baartman his debut in South Africa and believes the talented teenager has a bright future in the game.

“I saw Boere train on my second day here, after taking the technical director’s job at Cape Town Spurs,” he told the Scottish Sun.

“His spatial awareness, movement and pace reminded me immediately of Craig Bellamy and Henrik Larsson from when they were at Celtic.

“I’ve not had a feeling like this about a player since I gave Seamus Coleman his opportunity, and look at the career he’s gone on to have.

“As soon as I brought Luke into the first team, he’s looked at home and not out of place, which is testimony to the young man’s character.”

The reported Baartman transfer interest comes after Rodgers insisted that he has the final say on all recruitment, even if a process for potential signings is in place.

“Listen, it’s something that’s natural,” Rodgers said of the signing-decision theories.

“People will always wonder, especially when we’re a club that doesn’t have a Director of Football or Sporting Director.

“But it’s really no different here to most clubs. We identify the profile of the players that we want. The recruitment team then scythe that down to a certain number.

“Then it comes forward to me to decide on the best ones to bring in. And if none of the three are to the level then we don’t bring them, it’s as simple as that.

In other news, What Kasper Schmeichel told Matt O’Riley after his bittersweet Denmark debut