Alan Hutton believes Kasper Hogh can lead Celtic to the title.
The former Rangers defender has been impressed by the Danish striker since watching him for Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League.
Hutton thinks Celtic have landed an "outstanding player" despite the pressure from his club-record £11 million move. Hogh had a tough debut in the 1-0 win over Dundee, missing chances and hitting the side-netting.
But he made a strong comeback at Rugby Park by scoring a first-half hat-trick, helping Celtic to a 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock. The 25-year-old scored after just 64 seconds and completed his treble within 34 minutes. Hutton said: "Kasper Hogh is a player who can fire Celtic to the title, unfortunately for Rangers.
"He is an outstanding player. I saw him play for Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, and some of his goals and performances were top tier, so when I heard that Celtic were getting him, I wasn’t happy."
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Hutton admitted that Hogh looked off-form in his first game against Dundee but believes he just needed some time to settle in. He said: "He snatched at the chances that came to him and hit the side-netting, but he’d only been in the building two days before.
"It might even have been only one day, and he was playing the next day, so you have to give him a little bit of time to settle in."
Hutton believes Hogh’s performance against Kilmarnock showed more than just a player capable of scoring. He added: "Against Kilmarnock, he was absolutely brilliant, and I don’t just mean because of the hat-trick.
"He could have scored five, but the way he linked up the play, whether it was one touch, spinning it around the corner, using his movement into the box, peeling away from defenders, pretending he’s going front post, then going to back post.
"Everything about his whole game was a 10 out of 10 against Kilmarnock."
Celtic signed Hogh from Bodo/Glimt for a reported £11 million plus add-ons on a four-year deal, after he scored 53 goals in 102 appearances in Norway.
Alan Hutton was speaking with BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest football odds.
