Jullien irked at ban set to deny him his SPFL debut

CHRISTOPHER Jullien last night expressed his frustration with the suspension set to rob him of a competitive Parkhead debut against St Johnstone in Saturday’s Premiership curtain-raiser.

Celtic’s new £7million signing (below) had a comfortable evening in his first starting appearance against Nomme Kalju in Tallinn. Despite the attacking limitations of the hosts, a central defensive partnership with Jozo Simunovic showed promise, heightening the Frenchman’s irritation at sitting out the first league game of the season. ‘I received a yellow card in the last game of Ligue 1,’ said the ex-Toulouse man. ‘I didn’t realise it would follow me to Scotland but you have to accept it. ‘I don’t even remember what it was for. So it’s sad but I have to stay fit and I’ll train well this week to be ready for Cluj (in the Champions League third qualifying round). ‘It’s going to be a big game and it’s a team that plays in the Champions League a lot, so we’re going to have to do a good job, but I’m really confident about this team. ‘We have a lot of good talent and staff and we need to show the world we have the team to play in this competition.’ Physically imposing and composed, Jullien strolled through a game in which fellow new Bhoy Marian Shved scored his first goal for the club and goalkeeper Craig Gordon made his first start of 2019. ‘It felt great to make my debut, get a win and keep a clean sheet,’ said Jullien. ‘Everything is good and it was a good game from the team. ‘I was just happy to start my debut for Celtic because, when you’re new and play in central defence, you need to know everything about your team-mates. ‘It’s a position where you have a lot of responsibility, so it was a good feeling. ‘I’ve worked a lot since I’ve been here and everything has been fine. So I’m really happy. ‘I arrived really late into pre-season, so I have to get into shape and be competitive and learn what my team-mates can and can’t do. ‘It was my first game with Jozo. We wanted to be confident and we did a good job. He played a really good game and it’s promising for the future.’ Shved also expressed delight following his stoppage-time strike. Hampered by a groin injury in recent weeks, the Ukrainian winger finished off a comprehensive win with a shot high into the net from 18 yards. ‘Today is a very good day,’ he said. ‘We played well and I’m happy as I scored my first goal in my first game, so it’s a great feeling. ‘The manager (Neil Lennon) has been saying nice things about me and is a very good man. ‘It helps when you come to a club like this to know the manager has faith in you.’