Chris Sutton has cast doubt over suggestions that Celtic star Benjamin Nygren is at the level of the English Premier League.
Throughout the season, Sutton has been a vocal critic of Nygren and the all-round package he brings to the Celtic table.
The former Premier League hitman stated that Nygren doesn’t have the ‘dynamism’ to compete in a league dubbed the best in the world.
“That’s where I would be sceptical,” said Sutton. “I don’t think he has the dynamism. He has a wonderful instinct for his movement in the box and where it’s going to land. A nice left foot and a good finisher.
“I am not so sure, just personally, I would have liked to have played with him.”
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Chris Sutton and Steven Naismith question Benjamin Nygren’s qualities
Despite being Celtic’s top scorer this season, with 19 goals in all competitions, Nygren remains a heavily divisive figure among the Parkhead fanbase.
The 24-year-old frequently drifts out of matches and doesn’t get involved in games as much as the critics would like.
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He simply cannot control games like Callum McGregor; he isn’t combative like Reo Hatate used to be at his peak, and he is far from the no-nonsense presence Scott Brown used to be in the middle of the park.
However, Nygren consistently executes the hardest part of the game and produces something many strikers at the club have been lacking this season: He scores goals.
Either way, both Sutton and Steven Naismith, speaking on The Warm-Up, expressed why Nygren wouldn’t be able to cut it in the top-flight of English football.
Sutton: “I was also reading about possible moves down south for Benjamin Nygren. £25 million. What do you think? Could he play in the Premier League?”
Naismith: “Oh, he has to show a bit more, at the moment, than being touted for that, I think. He is a goal threat. Somebody who always gets chances in a game is a valued member of the squad because it’s hard to do consistently.
“Is he at the level of the Premier League? The Premier League is full of athleticism.”
Sutton: “That’s where I would be sceptical. I don’t think he has the dynamism. He has a wonderful instinct for his movement in the box and where it’s going to land. A nice left foot and a good finisher.
“I am not so sure, just personally, I would have liked to have played with him.”
Nygren’s numbers for Celtic this season
Yes, Celtic might end the season trophyless, but from a selfish standpoint, Nygren would see his debut campaign in Scotland as a success.
The instinctive poacher would point to his goals tally, and also how he helped Sweden reach the 2026 World Cup this summer in dramatic fashion.
Either way, this is how Nygren has been rated by Sofascore:
Premiership games: 33
Starts: 24
Minutes per game: 65
Goals: 15
Assists: 5
Touches: 46.3
Team of the week: 7
Sofascore rating: 7.21
Europa League games: 10
Starts: 7
Minutes per game: 62
Goals: 4
Assists: 1
Touches: 30.2
Team of the week: 0
Sofascore rating: 7.04
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