And McLeish, Narey and Heggarty .. that’s their class

up to be closer to his family, that was the catalyst – but he wasn’t interested in going anywhere else.

“He wanted to come back and the biggest bonus f rom the f i rst conversation was he wanted to make a difference, talking about helping young players. Not just helping himself.

“He felt good when he was here before and people underestimate that.

“Look at Stephen Dobbie at Queen of the South – he could be playing anywhere but he wanted to go back to Queens.

“He had great experiences at the club before. He wants to rekindle them and help everyone else.

“Christophe is a decent fella, first and foremost. He’s been instrumental in everything good that’s happened for us. All after a difficult start as well, remember.”

Levein bel ieves Berra’s recent emergence as a go-to centre-half for Scotland, starting the last six games after a decade as a loyal squad servant, has been a contributing factor to his own self-belief.

And he doesn’t struggle to visualise their record-breaking pairing swapping maroon for dark blue either.

He said: “Deservedly so, Berra has earned his place. I don’t know if there’s anyone better than him just now. I don’t know if there’s anyone better than John either but that’s just my preference.

“I like those partnerships – Miller and McLeish, that type of blend and balance. Narey and Heggarty, that’s what I like to see in teams.

“In the Premier League you can’t afford to get bullied. You need someone who other teams think twice about at set-pieces.

“Even set- pieces for us because they know he’ll be coming up for a corner. .

“But the combinations are important , when centre-backs develop an understanding w ith each other.

“You just want to keep putting them together week after week and the longer they’re together, the better they get.

“Christophe and John are probably the quickest players at the club as well. “Christophe’s pace is underrated. Sure, he can head the ball and fight his corner but his reading of the game, his understanding of how high the line has to be, his communication, they’re all excellent.

“Ten yards can make a huge difference in how high or low your line and is and it’s about experience, knowing when to squeeze and when to sit deep.

“You can’t put those things into younger players, they have to experience it and learn it from other players.

“Some players understand, others just never get it. But the ones who do are priceless.”