Celtic midfielder David Turnbull believes that last seasons home fixture in the Europa League against Lille is where he kick-started his Hoops career into action.
Last seasons European campaign was certainly disappointing throughout. The one game that Celtic fans enjoyed, though, was our 3-2 victory against the eventual French Champions, as former manager Neil Lennon made several big changes to the side.
As quoted by the Daily Record, with Postecoglou’s side making their return to Group Stage action next week, the 22-year old has since reflected on the game, which he believes was ‘huge’ for stating his arrival as a Celtic player.
Ahead of their Group G opener in midweek, Turnbull said: “The Lille game felt like an arrival for me at Celtic.
“I don’t think I’ve ever looked back since then. It was a huge game for me personally. I went into the team that night, having not had much game time before then.
“We went into it knowing we were out of the group stages, so it was just about trying to prove a point.
“And I felt we did that against Lille. It was a great night, and hopefully, we can have more of those this year.
“I just tried to treat the Lille game like any other. But I knew it was big for me because I hadn’t played many games for Celtic.
“It was massive for me to have a good game and show what I could do.
“Afterwards, I felt I’d done that, and it was a great feeling knowing that. I just had to try and continue doing that in every game.
“I’d say that was the night I proved to the Celtic fans I belonged here. It was my first full game. I’d had one or two chances as a sub before that, but after Lille, I felt more like part of the team.”
Turnbull was one of the very few shining lights to come out of last campaign, and his performance against Lille was a memorable one, which finally saw him get more of a chance in the side.
Since then, he has kicked on and even managed to pick up awards as the clubs player and young player of the year, voted by fans.
It took him a little time, but the midfielder seems to have settled into Ange Postecoglou’s new side nicely and is now one of the key players in that midfield area.
Hopefully, there is still even more to come from the Scotland internationalist, as Ange continues to improve players in his side.
