RONNY: LOVE THE GAME FIRST THEN RICHES WILL COME

players. If you want to think always about wanting to be rich, you won’t get it. You have to be the best in something — and that is how it is in football. ‘Good performances, OK, you get the experience and you also get money. It is about what happens on the pitch, it is about everything. The money is nothing compared with the experience — but when you do well, everything gets higher. ‘So, yes, the prestige is more priceless than the money — but there are positives in the second one, as well. It helps the club get more secure and we can build even more. The Norwegian remains realistic about Celtic’s hopes of becoming regulars in the group stages, pointing to the established club model of buying low and selling high. ‘The money would help with that, of course,’ he said. ‘It is important to keep up the economy so we can bring in new players all the time. That is going to be important. ‘But there will always be some circulation because we bring in young players, try to bring out their potential and then sell them because we are in the Scottish league and people want to play in more competitive and better leagues.’ Hanging on to influential players is also a key to success for Deila but there may be an interesting twist in the future of central defender Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman has been linked with Southampton and their manager Ronald Koeman hinted yesterday that injuries to his defenders may force his hand. ‘That’s the priority, to bring in one or two centre-backs,’ he said. ‘We are working to bring in a new player as quickly as possible.’