Nir perfect model of a midfielder for Bhoys

IT seems preposterous in hindsight to t hi nk t hat Nir Bitton’s first notable Champions League contribution f or Celtic was one marked by rashness.

Sent f rom the bench with instructions to help protect a 2-1 lead over Ajax in October 2013, he lasted j ust 11 minutes before being sent off for a lunge on Thulani Serero. Neil Lennon was l ess than amused, admonishing the midfielder, then just 21, as he trudged towards the tunnel inside Parkhead.

The red card formed part of an awkward introduction to life in Glasgow following a £ 700,000 move f r om Israeli club Ashdod just weeks earlier. Injury would further curtail his ability to make a positive early impression.

But, for Celtic, Bitton’s emergence has proven very much worth the wait. Established as a regular under Ronny Deila since l ast November, he has become more impressive with each passing month.

Composure, assurance and intelligence are now his hallmarks. They were displayed to the full on Wednesday with a bedrock performance in the goalless draw against Qarabag that allowed Celtic to progress to within touching distance of the group stage. Cool heads were required within the heat of Azerbaijan. His was the coolest of all.

His progression comes as no surprise to those who helped nurture his career. Former Aston Villa boss John Gregory worked with Bitton during a spell in charge at Ashdod and watched TV coverage of his display in Baku.

While this summer’s bigmoney transfer speculation surrounds Virgil van Dijk, Gregory feels cash- rich English clubs are already recognising that Celtic have another gem within their ranks.

‘I’m delighted to see Nir doing so well and I’m sure there are one or two people starting to take a look at him,’ he told Sportsmail.

‘Celtic have an effective model with transfers and there has obviously been a lot of talk about van Dijk.

‘ I could see the same happening with Nir in the future. For one thing, look at his age. He is still only 23 but has played a lot of games.

‘You can look at some players at a similar age and see they have only started 20 matches in five years or whatever. Nir played a lot of games in the top league i n Israel and has now done the same in Scotland, with the pressure and atmosphere that comes with playing for Celtic.

‘If the club can now go on to qualify for the Champions League group stage then he would add that experience and I think that would attract a lot of people.

‘He has so many attributes when you are watching him playing. There will be a lot of Premier League clubs sitting up and looking at this boy, keen to keep an eye on him.’

‘You could see his value to Celtic on Wednesday night,’ added Gregory. ‘He looks so calm.

‘I don’t think I ever saw him lose his temper in the time I worked with him. He comes across as such an affable, easy-going guy. But he’s like that saying about a swan on the water. He looks very elegant in everything he does but there is a lot going on underneath.

‘Nir has a great belief in his ability. He is a confident footballer. Give him the ball and he’ll look after it.

‘ Even i n that l ast 10 minutes or so against Qarabag, he was nice and calm. He took the ball and always made sure he gave it to another Celtic player.

‘When you are protecting a slender advantage, you need that kind of player.

‘He always had the talent to reach this l evel. He stepped up in class from Israel and it was always likely to take him a little bit of time to adjust.

‘But he deserves a pat on the back. He has risen to what was required of him and is now really bossing the midfield.’