Exclusive: £3m Stoke City star told to consider "tremendous" Celtic transfer | OneFootball

Speaking exclusively with FLW, David Prutton has been discussing the future of Stoke City star, Million Manhoef.

It's largely been yet another frustrating Championship season for Stoke City, but the form of Million Manhoef has been one of the brighter sparks.

The 23-year-old arrived from Dutch side Vitesse in the 2024 winter transfer window for around £3m, and went on to bag four goals and one assist in his first 14 appearances for the Potters during the second half of last season.

As such, the Netherlands youth international instantly became a fan favourite at the bet365 Stadium, and the young right-winger has once again been one of Stoke's standout players during his first full season in the Potteries.

However, his impressive performances haven't gone unnoticed, as Scottish giants Celtic are understood to be keen on a move for him in the summer.

Speaking exclusively with Football League World, we asked Sky Sports pundit and former player, David Prutton: 'Stoke star Million Manhoef is wanted by Celtic as Stoke sit perilously in the Championship. If you were Manhoef, would you be tempted by a switch to Celtic?'

Prutton said: "I think firstly, you can instantly see the attraction of what being a Celtic player would be.

"Never having had the privilege of being north of the border playing, but knowing people that played for both sides of that particular divide, their description and their passion for it is all-consuming.

"So, I think swapping a club that's perennially bottom-half in the Championship, which again, from Stoke's point of view needs to be addressed ASAP; a glaring gulf between a team as we saw on Monday in Leeds heading back to the Premier League, and a team in Stoke that were once part of the Premier League furniture is there for all to see.

"A chastening reminder for Mark Robins about the job that needs to be done at Stoke, and if Million is not going to be part of that, then if he ends up at Celtic, it's a tremendous move for him."

Celtic move would surely be very tough for Manhoef to turn down

Whether you consider a move to the Scottish Premiership as being a step backwards from playing in the Championship or not, the attraction of playing for a club like Celtic is obvious.

The Hoops play in one of the loudest and most historic stadiums in European football, and they have almost exclusively dominated Scottish football since the 2011/12 season, with Rangers' sole title win in the 2020/21 season being the only other club to win a Scottish Premiership title since the 11/12 campaign.

As such, it's almost a guarantee that a move to the green side of Glasgow will bring with it silverware, and on top of that, the opportunity to play Champions League football.

Therefore, when the benefits of a switch to Celtic Park are laid out, it does have the feeling of being somewhat of a no-brainer for a player in Manhoef's situation.

The Stoke star has proven himself to be a quality player at Championship level, and with the Potters seemingly no closer to progressing up the second tier from when he arrived, he may well see this as a prime opportunity to take his career to the next level.