Charlie Mulgrew admits he thought the moment had passed when he would become a fully-fledged Celtic player when he left the club four years ago having failed to impress manager Gordon Strachan. After his contract with Aberdeen expired this summer, Hoops' boss Neil Lennon stepped in to hand the 24-year-old left-back a three-year deal and a return to his boyhood heroes.

Speaking at the club's Lennoxtown training complex, Mulgrew said: "To be fair, once I left Celtic I thought that was it.

"It's not very often a player comes back to a club like this but it was up to me to work hard, play the best I could and believe I could get back to this sort of level and I'm just delighted to be here.

"I was pretty close to signing for Sheffield United to be honest, but when this came calling there was no doubt where I was going.

"It's good to be back. It's been on-going for a couple of weeks now and I'm happy to be back.

"Growing up a Celtic fan it was a dream move and I'm delighted."