THE SOUTH American market has a huge pool of talent and Colombia is an often overlooked place to unearth some gems. 

Here, we take a closer look at the Liga Dimayor and offer up three players who Celtic and Ange Postecoglou could be well-placed to monitor...

Daniel Ruiz (Millonarios)

Nationality: Colombian; Age: 20; Position: Left winger; Preferred foot: Left; TransferMarkt Value: £990,000

Celtic Way:

Daniel Ruiz is one to look out for in the future. The young Colombian is one of Millonarios’ trickiest players and, as you can see from the numbers, he is a high-volume, competent dribbler.

His creative numbers are also good, although that is an area where he could potentially still level up.

Celtic Way:

Ruiz is a left-footed winger who is deployed on the left wing often but is very well capable of playing on the right or through the middle. He loves to roam around in the central areas of the pitch, looking to receive the ball and probe opposition defences. The numbers show that he is a direct creative threat with his expected assists (xA) and shot assists numbers being in the top percentiles.

Celtic Way:

However, it is the actions before the pass that makes him stand out among the crowd. Ruiz is a fairly short guy but is extremely effective and efficient in tight spaces. He has immense close control and the added trickery in his locker aids him to get past players with ease.

Celtic Way:

Celtic Way:

The 20-year-old is explosive and exceptionally quick at pushing the ball forward into space and accelerating. He also has this quick turn of pace which is beneficial over short distances and in tight spaces while taking on players. The two images above exemplify his ability to get out of tight spaces with ease. With this blistering pace and quick footwork, he wins a lot of fouls for his team as well, especially in the final third.

Celtic Way:

Celtic Way:

The above pictures show how easily he attracts opposition players and beats them, opening up counter-attacks and space ahead. Ruiz’s ability to run with the ball is what makes him stand out although his passing and crossing in general needs work. He is predominantly left-footed but isn’t shy at taking shots with his weaker foot either. Either way he generates good power but can be wasteful at times in his decision-making when trying to shoot from distance despite opportunities to pass.

He has the potential to play in Europe and it doesn’t feel long before he gets a call-up to the national team as well.

READ MORE: Celtic transfer options in the MLS - a centre-back in the Joel Matip mould and more

Yaser Asprilla (Envigado)

Nationality: Colombian; Age: 18; Position: Attacking midfielder; Preferred foot: Left; Height: 6ft 1in; TransferMarkt Value: £900,000

Celtic Way:

Yaser Asprilla is one of Colombia’s best young talents. Watford snapped him up last year and he has spent this season on loan at Envigado. However, he could still be a potential option down the line should Watford get relegated from the English Premier League this season and then remain in the Championship for a while.

Celtic Way:

Asprilla is a left-footed attacking midfielder who thrives in the central areas of the pitch. His game is akin to that of a tricky winger but he with the bonus that he is exceptionally good in the central areas of the pitch, especially for someone in his age group.

The 18-year-old is direct and explosive, with a strong ability to take on players. His dribbling, paired with that explosiveness, is what would help him play down the wings as well as central.

Celtic Way:

Celtic Way:

The images above are an example of his ability to get past players with good use of his body and pace. He isn’t a high-volume dribbler but is good at it nonetheless. He has a natural flair to his game with the way he runs at opponents and uses his body to get past players. He has a tremendous first touch and ball control which, when paired with his ability to turn quickly, becomes a huge asset.

Additionally, Asprilla controls a pass ever so well and turns so quickly which often allows him an extra split-second to leave players behind. He possesses good balance as well despite the fact he isn't physically strong, while that attribute allies well with not going to ground post-challenges.

Celtic Way:

One of the areas where he could do some work is his final product and output. He has the ability to shoot well but he tends to shoot unnecessarily at times, even when he isn’t set up to. However, he offsets this by being an asset at set-pieces with his ability to take free-kicks. With his explosiveness, his passing ability is something that goes under the radar quite often; he has the vision to find players with good through balls consistently.

Asprilla definitely has it in him to make it work at the top level in Europe. Celtic wouldn’t be making any mistake keeping tabs on his progress as he could be a top signing down the line.

Robert Mejía (Once Caldas)

Nationality: Colombia; Age: 21; Position: Defensive midfielder; Preferred foot: Right; Height: 5ft 8in; TransferMarkt Value: £540,000

Celtic Way:

Postecoglou is a manager who gets the best out of his players and Robert Mejía is one who he could turn into a potentially solid defensive midfielder with some tweaks.

Mejia made appearances for the Colombian Under-17 national team, playing in both the Under-17 South American Championships and the Under-17 World Cup in 2017.

Celtic Way:

Mejía’s ability on the ball is the best part of his game. He is someone who loves to sit deeper and tuck in between the centre-backs in the midfield third of the pitch when his team is in possession to distribute from there.

He is comfortable with the ball and has a good range of passing. He averages around 4.8 long passes per game too and can clip the ball forward when required. Most importantly, he is a strong advocate of verticality, looking to find a way to move the ball forward.

Celtic Way:

The 21-year-old is good at breaking the lines as well as passing in between them to progress play. One of the main parts of his game is that he delays his passes and keeps the ball before he finds a good option.

With good movement in the Celtic final third and players finding spaces to receive, the defensive midfielder would enjoy finding them with his passing. He is also adept at carrying the ball forward although it must be said he is not really a very adventurous midfielder.

Celtic Way:

The delay in his decision-making could be a disadvantage if he was to play in games where the tempo is faster. However, Mejía is good at playing through the press as he is good at keeping hold of the ball in general.

In certain cases, he chooses to use a regressive option by passing backwards or carrying the ball back when pressed which eventually leads to a positive situation for his team -like the example above, where he carries the ball backwards and turns effectively to take the player out of the game and open up huge spaces ahead of him.

Celtic Way:

The key area for improvement is his defensive side. Mejía could be physically unimposing at times which makes it easier for the opponent to get through and go at the defence. Also, he commits to going to ground a lot although one of the positives is the fact that he can be good in the air by throwing the other player off balance and has a decent aerial win rate despite his height.

Overall, he could end up being a decent squad player for Celtic and certainly a potential key asset from the bench.