There were a lot of new arrivals to Celtic Park in the summer and Ange Postecoglou has given a special mention to two in particular.
Many players arrived at the club last season and instantly made an impact with the likes of Kyogo, Matt O’Riley and Joe Hart being influence early on.
Some players don’t always hit the ground running and with more game time, some of the summer arrivals are now beginning to really show their worth.
Sead Haksabanovic and Alexandro Bernabei both featured in Celtic’s 6-1 victory over Hibs at the weekend and with both now getting up to speed they look like two top talents.
They are versatile and add something different to the squad which has shown why Ange Postecoglou was so keen to bring both men to Celtic.
One of the reasons Hibs couldn’t deal with the Scottish champions was probably a bit down to that versatility as they couldn’t have prepared for the line up which tore them apart.
Postecoglou is pleased with the development of Haksabanovic who didn’t have a full pre-season due to his contract situation at Rubin Kazan.
“Sead is doing well,” said Ange Postecoglou as quoted by the Glasgow Times.
“We have had the luxury of being able to ease him in, as opposed to last year when we had to throw guys in.
“He is building his fitness up and getting an understanding of our game but he’s a good footballer. We are really happy to have him here and we are excited to see what he can bring.
“Sead is still only 23 so from our perspective we were happy to get him. The best is yet to come from him – absolutely. That was one of the attractions for us when he signed him.
“We saw a player who had a great deal of experience, but in terms of his age profile and where is at in his career, there is still plenty more in him.
“We knew he could fit into the way we play and the added bonus with Sead is that he can play two or three positions. We felt we needed a player like that and we are pleased with his progress, but we also know there is more to come.
“There are always challenges when doing these things but Michael Nicholson and the rest of the guys worked hard to get it done. It wasn’t an easy deal to get it done in the current climate but from my first discussion with Sead, I knew he was all in. He definitely wanted to come to Celtic and when you get that vibe from a player, there is always a good chance the deal will get done.
“We were pleased to get it concluded.”
There is also still more to come from 22-year old Alexandro Bernabei who had to make the transition from Argentina to Scotland during the summer.
Greg Taylor has been one of Celtic’s most consistent performers meaning that it was always going to be difficult for Bernabei to break into the side but he is continually making an impression.
“I am pleased for Alexandro,” Postecoglou said. “Again, he is one we are really excited about.
“I think because of what happened last year, people probably expected us to throw new signings in straight off the plane again. But this season that was never the plan.
“I wanted to make sure we bedded them in properly, particularly Alexandro. He is 21, it’s his first time out of Argentina and I didn’t want to throw him in and overwhelm him immediately. We see a really bright future for him and we wanted to integrate him slowly.
“Alexandro has been really good in training, he wants to learn and he has a real appetite for improvement.
“We have been able to be measured but there was never any doubt in my mind that he could make an impact – and you will see that from now on.
“We have also had the luxury of not needing to throw him in, as Greg Taylor has had an outstanding season.
“We have been able to ease Alexandro in gradually. I wanted to give him time because it is a big change for him, even with the language. It’s better now but that would be a challenge for any young player coming over.
“If you throw him into a competitive environment it can be a sink or swim scenario. They may thrive immediately but I didn’t see the need to do that. I felt it was better to get him in gradually and you can see him getting better in training all the time.
“He has the respect of his team-mates and he has improved with every game he has played.
“We still have 28 league games plus cups to go, so Alexandro will play his part.”
The manager places a huge emphasis on squad rotation and every player will be key to achieving success this season.
“He has a couple of assists in his last two games and that was part of the attraction with Alexandro.
“He is exciting going forward and in the modern game, if you can get defensive players with good attacking outputs, they are great assets.
“We certainly saw that when we scouted Alexandro and we knew that he could be good for us going forward. But he’s also improving the defensive side of his game.
“We have worked closely with him and he’s taking it all on board. We see how good Alexandro has been in training and we are probably the least surprised by how he played against Hibs.
“But he’s only a young guy and there is more to come.”
