Turnbull looks on the bright side

Tough as Celtic’s European campaign has been, one player has been finding it especially hard going, writes DANNY STEWART.

David Turnbull’s attempts to reach full fitness have been sabotaged, first by an ankle injury then a bout of tonsillitis.

With competition for places fierce, he has had to settle for whatever minutes off the bench his manager can give him.

While that is not ideal for a player who was a regular in last season’s title-winning team, Turnbull (inset) is able to look on the bright side.

“Losing to RB Leipzig was hard to take, but we will take positives from it,” he reflected on the defeat which ended hopes of the Champions League last 16.

“I thought the boys played really well, and created plenty of first-half chances. But at this level, it is about taking them when you are on top – as they did later on.

“Competing at this level has been valuable, though. It is great to come up against the likes of Real Madrid’s Luka Modric, see their quality and the way they carry themselves on the pitch.

“If you can take wee bits of their game for yourself, it can help a lot.

“Personally, I have not had a good time of it. But it’s about coming back strongly, and trying to contribute with goals and assists.

“Luckily, we have a game almost every three days for the next few weeks, which will help me get my fitness up to 100%.”

Turnbull sat out the visit of Hibs but is expected to be back for the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against his old club, Motherwell, led by former team-mate, and new boss Stevie Hammill.

“Stevie was my teammate for 18 months, and I was probably a bit starstruck,” he said. “He would always talk me through games, giving me wee tips, and was great to work with.”