Bernabei ‘excellent’ in Celtic debut | OneFootball

Alexandro Bernabei made his Celtic debut in last night’s 7-0 rout of Austrian minnows, Wiener Viktoria.

The new signing becomes the first Argentinian to play for Celtic. And if his early contributions are anything to go by, the Celtic faithful are in for a treat.

The 21-year-old put pen to paper on a five-year contract after a fee of £3.75m was agreed with Lanus last month. The Primera División side reporting at the time that a future sell-on clause of 10% was also included in the deal.

Securing hot prospects from the top league of one of the world’s finest footballing nations is bold. And a real sign of intent that Ange’s philosophy is backed as equally by the board, as it is by the squad.

Make no mistake that both Postecoglou and Mark Lawwell were instrumental in this signing. The young defender’s playing style matches Postecoglou’s philosophy to a tee. And Lawwell’s knowledge of the South American market has delivered this profile to Parkhead.

Alexandro Bernabei is an exciting talent

It won’t come as a surprise to you that the former Lanus man started his career as a winger. He possesses all the technical skills required to excel in that role and has since added a defensive element to his game.

An assist on his debut gives Celtic fans an exciting glimpse into what he can offer this season. But Ange was full of cautious praise for the youngster:

Tactically, the aggressive, high press and utilisation of the overlap as an attacking weapon was evident during his debut. Bernabei’s natural pace and energy therefore provides an automatic advantage when fitting into our style of play.

His assist actually came from a deep cross that found its way into the path of Johnny Kenny. The young Irishman tucked away with his left-foot for his second of the match.

The Argentine is far from the finished article. And early signs also point to the fact that we should expect his best work to be done in the final third of the pitch.

Bernabei will provide solid competition to Greg Taylor who improved exponentially last season. And with Juranovic on the other flank, it’s an exciting prospect.