Joe Hart knows a player when he sees one.
And why wouldn’t he after working with some of the best in the world at Manchester City and Spurs?
The new Celtic keeper can count the likes of David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and Gareth Bale as former team-mates.
And even now that he’s at Parkhead, he can still spot stand-out talent.
He’s only been at the Hoops for a matter of weeks but the 34-year-old has been taken aback by the quality of midfielder David Turnbull. Hart would have known very little, if anything, about the former Motherwell kid when he arrived at Celtic Park.
But after bagging his first goals of the season against Jablonec in Thursday night’s Europa League qualifying win, Turnbull properly kicked off his campaign.
Celtic gaffer Ange Postecoglou sang his praises at full-time and he wasn’t Turnbull’s only admirer.
Hart is convinced that the 22-year-old is a top player.
After discovering that he didn’t get off the bench for Scotland at Euro 2020, the former England No.1 has urged him to graft at club level to reap the rewards internationally.
Hart said: “I’ve been really impressed by David. He’s done really well so far. He plays with a lot of maturity in midfield. It can be quite frantic in there so you have to be a good player.
“Him, Callum McGregor and Tom Rogic cope with that really well and there’s a nice fluidity about what they’re doing now.
“But to pop up with goals, like David has, is going to be so important for us.
“We’re going to be the kind of team where lots of different people are going to get chances, even the full-backs.
“So if we’ve got people knocking them in, it gives us more of an incentive to keep it out at the other end.
“In terms of David, I know what it takes at international level. I’m not that familiar with the Scottish set-up right now but what I do know is that I really like him as a player.
“Obviously, he knows if he’s been to a tournament and hasn’t got any
football he’s going to have to keep working. He’s still a young player and every player at Celtic, including myself as an older one, has to get their heads down and work. We all have to graft.
“David’s the same and the only way that he’s going to be knocking on the door for Scotland is if we’re doing well here at Celtic.”
Turnbull wasn’t the only player who caught the eye in midweek with Hart endearing himself to a full stadium with a couple of excellent stops.
And he’s also having to get involved in build-up play from the back, with Postecoglou implementing a new style into the side.
Inverted full-backs aren’t new to Hart as it’s something his former City coach Pep Guardiola is renowned for.
He wasn’t given an opportunity by the Spaniard to be part of his Etihad revolution but he’s relishing the chance to be a pivotal player for the new Celtic boss. Hart said: “The two saves on Thursday night boosted my confidence, definitely. We’re trying to start something new here.
“We’re going to play expansive football and that’s going to require me to make the odd save.
“We’ll all have to bail each other out in a few situations.
“Overall, it’s just great to see the pressure we’re applying and the work rate we maintain.
“We’re playing some good football and creating chances. And I just did my job, which is to keep the ball out of the net as best I can.
“There is an understanding of how we want to play but we all have to buy into it. The entire squad needs to be on board.
“It’s a specific style of football the manager wants to play. He wants us to play with no fear, he backs us.
“He puts that responsibility on himself to make us feel like we can play that way and we’re going to grow as a team. The manager came in here quite late so it’s going to take time.
“But the baseline is hard work, dedication, understanding and all being on the same page.
“The inverted full-backs system isn’t really new to me. Obviously, we have seen it elsewhere, we know which team likes to do that!
“But it requires teamwork and understanding. You need to know it’s the right moment to do it and when not to do it.
“Ultimately, teams are going to become accustomed to what we do so we’re always going to have to adapt and overcome it.
“That has to be our mentality throughout the season.”
Hart should get his first taste of knock-out football in Scotland today when Hearts visit Parkhead in a Premier Sports Cup fixture. Postecoglou will be targeting the first silverware of the season, especially after the club’s dismal League Cup exit to Ross County last term.
And having played at big clubs before, Hart says he’s ready to deal with the expectation levels at Celtic, which dictate that every game has to be won.
He said: “It’s such an easy thing to say, isn’t it? But I’ve been in football a long time, I know the game.
“I’ve already been in teams that are expected to win. But it’s not that simple, it’s about application and hard work.
“We’re at home against Hearts which is huge for us. We need to get the fans onside from the first minute to try and win the game.
“You can’t win the final of the competition unless you take care of these types of games. You worry about the future when it comes and right now, it’s all about beating Hearts.”
