He told the Sunday Mail: "Massimo is a great signing. I watched many of Celtic's Champions League games last season and he will improve the team. I have no doubts he will be a big hero for the manager and the supporters.

"Massimo has great qualities. Having watched him for years and played with him last summer, I'd say he's a mixture of Gattuso and De Rossi. Both of them are top quality and play all the time for Italy so that's saying something. Massimo plays with passion and controls games. He loves to tackle but also likes to take possession and move forward. He is a commanding figure - tall and strong. Massimo is also powerful and good in the air.

"I played with the Italian beach soccer team last summer in Sardinia and Massimo was on holiday there. We asked him to join us for a game and he scored a hat-trick. I was impressed - he's a quality player. Like anyone moving to a new country and a new style of football, he will need a little time to settle.

"But after one month he will show his quality and will be a hero for the green side of Glasgow. The Celtic fans were good to me and they will be good to Massimo. They also made Paolo Di Canio feel special and he was a little bit crazy.

"Paolo always liked to entertain while Massimo is more focused on doing a proper job for the team."