Last week, David Turnbull scooped the award for Celtic’s Player of the Season.
It was richly deserved for an impeccable first term at Parkhead. Having signed for the Hoops last summer, the Scot hasn’t let the negativity distract him.
From an offensive point of view, he’s been a shining light. Turnbull stepped up to the plate in the absence of James Forrest, scoring ten goals and registering eight assists.
That said, there was one player who no matter the scoreline and no matter how bad things got, they were always a beacon of hope and positivity. That happens to be Kristoffer Ajer.
The Norwegian is likely to leave Paradise this summer and if he does indeed head for the departure lounge, he can do so with his head held high.
Ajer has been a consistent figure, a man who is every bit a leader, someone who could easily fill the leadership void of Scott Brown.
Saturday’s clash with Hibernian was all about the affectionately known Broony. This was his final outing in a Celtic shirt but he waved farewell to the Hoops with a goalless draw.
That said, there was one stand out player, someone who should have stolen the plaudits over their tireless defensive midfielder.
Again, we come back to Ajer. He was the heartbeat of the side, marauding forward at regular intervals and dictating the game from centre-back.
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We should hardly be surprised with this performance, though. During negative times, the Norway international had been a shining example for the rest of the team.
Speaking earlier this season, John Hartson commented: “He’s grabbing the bull by the horns and he’s almost dragging the team through, even to these draws. You see him making these lung-bursting runs forward, he’s marauding with that big stride, he’s challenging, on his backside, making blocks, in the opposition’s penalty area.”
Hartson added: “He’s a credit to the rest of the players. They should all look at him and if they’d all adopted the same attitude as Ajer then might have made a better fist of it in terms of holding on to the title.”
That was exactly the attitude the defender showed against Hibs on Saturday.
He completed a whopping 97% of his passes and took 115 touches during the contest. Only Brown and Callum McGregor took more than Ajer.
Furthermore, the 23-year-old won seven ground duels, more than anyone to take the field at Easter Road this weekend.
For a centre-back, his performance was full of attacking intent. He completed two dribbles, the same number as Ryan Christie, and was fouled on three occasions. One of those came after a lung-busting 50 yard run forward.
Those numbers are remarkable for someone playing in the position Ajer features in.
If he does walk out the exit door this summer it’ll be a huge loss. However, you can’t be surprised. His ball-playing abilities will fit right at home in a number of top sides south of the border.