EXCLUSIVE: ‘I have total admiration for Oliver Burke’ - Brian O’Neil

Ex-Celtic midfielder Brian O’Neil says he admires Scottish International Oliver Burke for moving to Germany at the start of the season.

O’Neil himself sampled German football when joined VfL Wolfsburg back in 1998 and believes that the young winger, who joined Bundesliga new boys RB Leipzig in the summer for £13million, will be better for the experience as he samples a different footballing culture.

Talking to the Glasgow is Green podcast, O’Neil said: “It’s a massive world out there. It lets you see that there is so much in the footballing world so I really applaud Oliver Burke for doing it. Not only is he going out and learning a different style of football, but he’s also learning a different language and a different culture.

“He’s going to go to Germany; hopefully improve, hopefully get a lot more chances to play in the first team and play against some of the best players in the world in the German league and who knows where that will take him?”

“He’s a powerful boy and when he gets going he can run like the wind. After going from a club like Nottingham Forest - who are a great club but they weren’t really going anywhere - he’ll be going out there and playing against some of the best players in the world. Just being on the pitch against them and being out training every day it’ll improve him.”

Speaking on his own experience in Deutschland, O’Neil said: “We went into the unknown as Wolfsburg had only been in the top league for one season at that time. But it was great for me and I’d say I actually grew up as a person when I went there.”

You can listen to the full interview with Brian here.