Kris-Tal Clear

With two out of three trophies already won this season, Kris Ajer is laser-focused on bringing home another treble

- Joe Donnelly

WITH a significant change in managerial personnel, a string of injuries to key players, and the loss of two club legends in Billy McNeill and Stevie Chalmers, the past few months have been at times turbulent for the Scottish champions.

Despite this, the Double Treble holders are on course to clinch an unprecedented third successive domestic sweep, should they triumph in the upcoming Scottish Cup final. Combine this with a successful last-32 run in the UEFA Europa League – the first time the club has qualified for back-to-back post-Christmas European football in over a decade – highlights just how successful this season has been.

The Hoops now see out the season with back-to-back games against Craig Levein’s Hearts in the league and the cup – the former of which marks Trophy Day for Neil Lennon’s eight-in-a-row-winning side, and the latter of which takes place at the National Stadium on May 25.

Should the Scottish champions win that game at Hampden, they’ll again create history and underscore their place as the best team in the country. Kris Ajer, Celtic’s Young Player of the Year for season 2018/19, reckons the team’s statistics are reflective of the hard work he and his team-mates put in at Lennoxtown on a daily basis.

“I think our statistics this side of the year, and over the course of the season generally, are all thanks to the hard work we put in at training,” said Ajer in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “Speaking for myself, I’ve learned so much from all the centre-halves on the training pitch and in the dressing room. They talk to me every single day at Lennoxtown, and then by the time you go out on the pitch on matchday, it all feels natural.”