Motherwell winger Elijah Just has admitted he shocked himself by scoring in all three of New Zealand's World Cup group matches, matching a Scottish club record held by Celtic legend Henrik Larsson. Just fired a superb left-footed effort past Thibaut Courtois in a 5-1 defeat to Belgium on Saturday morning, but the result confirmed New Zealand's exit at the bottom of Group G.
Historic Achievement
Just has scored every one of the All Whites' three goals in Group G over the past two weeks. In doing so, the 26-year-old became only the second player to net three World Cup goals while playing for a Scottish club, alongside Hoops idol Larsson. His goals came in a 2-2 draw with Iran, and defeats to Egypt and Belgium.
Despite the historic feat, Just described the campaign as bittersweet. "It's really disappointing. We knew it would be difficult coming in against Belgium needing the win," he said. "If there's any disappointment, it's probably looking back at the first two games. But it's been a long journey and I'm proud of the boys. Everyone worked their hardest but it wasn't to be."
Transfer Interest
Just's performances are certain to have increased transfer interest in the forward, who has been linked with Celtic this summer. He has a year left on his contract with Motherwell, although the club holds an option for an additional 12 months. The player was signed for a minimal fee from Danish side Horsens last summer and was named Motherwell's player of the year in his debut season.
When asked about his future, Just remained non-committal. Speaking to RNZ's Morning Report, he said: "A lot of the boys, they've just started pre-season. We've got a new coach, so on that hand I'm also excited to head back and see what kind of changes are being brought in. We've got some exciting fixtures coming up to qualify for the Conference League."
Motherwell's Stance
New Motherwell boss Alfred Johansson acknowledged the challenge of keeping hold of his prize asset. Speaking at his unveiling last week, Johansson said: "I haven't spoken to him yet. I think it's fair to him to be able to be in America and focus on the national team. He's a good player and he's a Motherwell player. I think there's always going to be rumours and links. It's going to be a big thing. These players getting linked right, left, centre, it's a part of expectation so I don't focus too much about it. If I were to choose clubs based on one really good player, I think that would be quite naïve."
