Celtic were linked with a move for young South African striking sensation Luke Bartmaan earlier this week. The 17-year-old Cape Town Spurs man is making waves in his home nation, and interest from abroad comes as no surprise.
Baartman has already scored his first senior goal for his side and amid reported interest from the Scottish champions, his club’s former technical director has vastly praised him. Sean Connor initially brought Bartmaan through in Cape Town.
The Irishman noticed his potential early on and has compared the centre-forward to a Celtic legend. He said (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.”
It was already clear that Bartmaan was a young man who had considerable potential, but Connor’s words back this up. Albeit the comparisons between players such as Larsson and Coleman are significant, they are a testament to Bartmaan’s current levels and prospects of future development.
