Celtic may have unearthed a new Virgil van Dijk at Parkhead but this could spell trouble sooner rather than later.

Back in the summer of 2013, Neil Lennon secured the emerging Dutch prospect in a £2.6m move from Groningen with the Hoops chief claiming: "Delighted that we have acquired Virgil van Dijk... a highly talented young player."

And boy did they sign a good'un. He went onto feature 115 times for the Scottish giants before earning a £13m switch to the Premier League.

Van Dijk soon continued his meteoric rise, becoming the most expensive defender ever when Liverpool splashed out £75m for his signature in late 2017.

This scenario could soon be repeated with the January transfer window soon on the horizon.

Kristoffer Ajer has enjoyed an impressive start to the season at Celtic Park, the 22-year-old has averaged 3.2 aerials won, 2.9 clearances and 1.5 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

His teammate Christopher Jullien believes he's a "unique talent" who's "on the rise" whilst assistant manager John Kennedy once dubbed him a "warrior".

Lennon can count his lucky stars that they managed to keep hold of him despite their exit from the Champions League and amid interest from the Premier League and across Europe.

Ajer was mooted with a move away constantly throughout the summer window with AC Milan a name that frequently popped up. The likes of West Brom, Spurs and even the Premier League champions themselves were also linked with interest.

It certainly feels like another van Dijk situation is brewing here, perhaps even more so after well-earned comparisons between the two.

Speaking to Football Insider, Alex McLeish said: "He’s been an influential player for them. Running from defence, augment the attack and then it leads to a goal – these are inspirational moments and he is an inspirational, influential player for Celtic. He mentions [interest] he’s getting from top Italian teams then it tells you how far Ajer has progressed in the game. Like Virgil van Dijk, he came to Celtic and we all know what happened next."

Whilst the similarities between van Dijk and Ajer's playing style has previously been noted by the Herald too.

It's surely a matter of time before the 6 foot 6 colossus earns a move to bigger and better things, and that should worry Peter Lawwell and co immensely as they're going to have to open the chequebook to find a viable successor sooner rather than later.

AND in other news, Lennon cost Celtic dearly with key decision during Old Firm embarrassment...