Elijah Just scored a double for New Zealand in its first World Cup game, and Colin Hendry says he would not be surprised if the Motherwell FC playmaker moved up the levels. That rise has drawn reported interest from Celtic FC and Rangers FC after Just impressed for Motherwell FC last season.
Callum Hendry's Warning
Hendry said his son Callum Hendry, who plays with Just at Motherwell FC, had already told him the midfielder was making the right kind of noise. “Just was the one that stuck out for Motherwell, and he played with my son Callum, and I said to Callum, and he said, yeah, Dad, he’s going places.”
He added that Just is now showing the same level on the bigger stage. “And you can see that because, again, on the biggest stage in the world, he’s providing, he’s showing up, and he’s bringing his stuff to the table.”
Celtic FC And Rangers FC
The interest around Just is not limited to one club. He is believed to be on the radar of Celtic FC and Rangers FC, and Hendry said that if Celtic FC were serious, the move should happen quickly.
“So I would think, if Celtic are really, really, really interested, I would be making a move. But they may even have opened the negotiations.”
That is the complication in the story. Just is being linked with Celtic FC and Rangers FC, but Hendry stopped short of saying a transfer is done or even close, and his own line pointed instead to momentum: “I’d be surprised if he didn’t go up the levels, as he’s improved, and he’s doing what he’s doing ever so well for New Zealand.”
Motherwell FC And New Zealand
Just’s profile has risen on two fronts. He was impressive for Motherwell FC last season and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year with several teammates, then carried that form into New Zealand’s first World Cup game with two goals.
For Motherwell FC, that puts a standout performer in the middle of transfer talk. For Celtic FC and Rangers FC, it leaves the same basic choice Hendry described: move if the interest is real, or watch another level open up for a player who has already done the job for club and country.
