Christophe Berra insists ‘cheeky’ Aaron Arnott has a big future if the precocious teenager keeps his feet on the ground.
The 18-year-old bagged his maiden senior goal on Wednesday evening to secure a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock and send Raith Rovers into the SPFL Trophy Trust final.
It was another milestone in a wonderful breakthrough campaign for Arnott, who has featured against Livingston, Aberdeen and in two clashes against Celtic.
Ex-Hearts and Scotland ace Berra has played alongside a plethora of talented youngsters in his time — most recently, thriving Serie A star Aaron Hickey — and he sees no reason why Arnott cannot enjoy a fine career.
“Aaron always comes on and shows good composure and technical ability,” Berra told Courier Sport.
“He demands possession, will play forward and make things happen in that midfield area. If he keeps progressing the way he is — because he’ll get stronger and more dynamic — then there’s no reason he can’t have a very good career.
“That’ll come if he keeps his head down, feet on the ground and shows a good attitude and determination.
“He is a confident young boy and has a wee cheeky streak — in the best way. He seems quite intelligent, speaks very well and has a bit of banter.”
Platform
Arnott’s emergence follows hot on the heels of Dylan Tait winning a move to Hibs last summer, having emerged through the ranks at Stark’s Park.
Kieron Bowie, meanwhile, joined Fulham in 2020 after making his mark as a teenager.
And Berra firmly believes that Rovers are providing a necessary platform for young players to shine.
TADHAL!! Tha @RaithRovers air thoiseach!
Raith have turned this game around! pic.twitter.com/E1EVjJ1vzS
— BBC ALBA (@bbcalba) March 2, 2022
“It might be different at Rangers and Celtic but, for every other club in Scotland, that pathway is so important,” Berra continued.
“The finances aren’t massive and clubs can’t afford to be signing lots of players.
“Coming through at a club like Raith Rovers is a really good grounding.
“For Aaron, he has good coaching staff who will try to do things in the right way. Everything is there for him and it’s just about grasping that. He’s got a real chance.”
Kilmarnock catalyst
Meanwhile, Berra is hopeful that Rovers’ stirring victory at Rugby Park — which followed a hard-fought draw against Partick Thistle — can act as a catalyst for a Championship resurgence.
The Fife side are enduring a 10-match winless streak in the league but Berra believes there have been heartening signs of life in their last two outings.
“We need to build from that [win against Kilmarnock],” added Berra, ahead of Saturday’s visit of Ayr United.
“In the last two matches, we might not have been as expansive as we would like. But this season people have tried to bully us and go man for man — and we’ve matched that in the last couple of games.
“There have been times when we’ve gone a bit longer, won second balls in the opposition half, and played from there.
“There is still a lot of improvement to come but the signs are very good.”
He added: “We have nine massive league games and we want to get up [to the Premiership] automatically. I know that’s a big shout but stranger things have happened. And, with a cup final in there, there’s a lot to push for.”
