DUNDEE UNITED v CELTIC

Hooked at half-time in a Dundee United defeat and publicly shamed by his manager.

Back in November, Dylan Lev it t found himsel f in uncharted territory.

After the Welsh midfielder was subbed of f against Motherwell, Tannadice gaffer Liam Fox labe l l ed hi s performance “poor”.

And he told Levitt – in no uncertain terms – that he expected better.

To be fair to the former ormer Manchester United youngster, ngster, he has given his bosss the response he was looking for.

The 22-year-old admits ts he was at a low ebb b amidst a run of ropey United displays earlier this season.

But a cal l- up for Wales’ World Cup squad heading to Qatar was the perfect pick-me-up.

Levitt didn’t get on the he pitch for Rob Page’s side ide during the tournament.

But training every dayay with the likes of Gareth Balele and Aaron Ramsey lifted his spirits.

And he’s now getting back to his best at Tannadice.

Fox will need him today for the visit of champions Celtic.

Levitt reckons the boot from his manager a few months ago was exactly what he needed.

And after experiencing the greatest show on earth with Bale & Co he’s ready to kick on again.

He said: “It was a turning point. After that, I scored and assisted in our next two games.

“And his words definitely played a part. It was the reaction he wanted.

“It wasn’t great to hear but I had to take it as a positive in that he knows how good I am as a player.

“I knew I could be performing better myself. At that time, every player could have been doing more.

“But I wasn’t feeling myself. Confidence plays a massive part in that.

“I wasn’t competing at the best level I could but that happens when you’re not getting results or performing as a team.

“It’s the first time I’ve had a manager give me a kick up the backside like that, publicly anyway. But I took it well and I’ve bounced back.

“Getting called up for the World Cup played a massive par t in l i f ting my confidence.

“It was only a few week s a f t er that dressing down I found out I was going.

“And in the games before Qatar, I managed to turn it round.”

Levitt was on the bench for Wales’ games against England, the USA

Manager’s words were a turning point .. I t o ok it wel l a nd bounced back