Ex-Celtic star Frank McAvennie is hoping the Hoops take up their option to sign Moritz Jenz on a permanent basis.

The German arrived at Parkhead on an initial loan deal from Lorient in the summer, and he has played 19 matches in all competitions so far. McAvennie says he has been impressed with the centre-half, who he thinks does the simple things well:

“I think he has done well. He is a no-nonsense defender. He just does what he says on the tin. He gets the ball and can give it to somebody that can play or gets it up the pitch. He does not mess about and he is only going to get better. He has been in and out.”

“It is whoever plays with Carter-Vickers at the moment but I would think Ange has got to strengthen the squad. I would give him a contract. I think he tries to cut out the mistakes. I like defenders to defend, I know the manager does not but I do so I would like him to stay.”

There are no reports detailing how much it would cost to snap up Jenz but his Transfermarkt value is set at €4m (£3.5m), which gives us a ballpark figure in terms of his potential price.

The 23-year-old had fallen out of favour at Lorient and the French club were keen to offload him, so the purchase clause agreed is unlikely to be that prohibitive.

If Jenz does continue playing between now and the end of the season, Celtic are likely to take McAvennie’s advice and secure his signature.