Celtic manager Ronny Deila has tipped Martin Odegaard to become so good he will "influence" the course of European football.

Deila handed Odegaard his senior debut at former club Stromsgodset and played an important role in helping to form the midfielder until his departure to take charge at Celtic last summer.




Odegaard did not remain in Norway much longer than his old boss, completing a fairy tale switch to Real Madrid in January for a fee which could reach €8.5m depending upon his progress in Spain.

The 16-year-old became Real Madrid's youngest ever debutant last weekend when brought off the bench against Getafe in a 7-3 win and Deila has no doubt that Odegaard is set to become an extremely important figure in European football.
 

 

The Celtic boss told TV2: "He is going to be incredibly good.

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"How good? It's impossible to say yet.

"Talking about a [Lionel] Messi/[Cristiano] Ronaldo level is a level that is inhuman.

"But he's going to influence European football. I'm confident of that, if he can avoid serious injuries."

Deila's Celtic had been one of a number of clubs in the running to sign Odegaard from Stromsgodset, but the youngster opted for Real Madrid.

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