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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark Walker

Josip Juranovic in Celtic vow fans will love as he issues Rangers derby quip


Celtic new boy Josip Juranovic maintains he would've played his debut in goal if Ange Postecoglou had asked.

The right-back was thrown into the Ibrox melting pot for last weekend's derby defeat to Rangers and admits playing in an unfamiliar left-back role was "strange".

But Juranovic loved every minute of the experience, despite a disappointing result for the Parkhead side.

He then followed that up by playing the whole game as Croatia gained a point in a goalless draw in Russia in their World Cup qualifier.

Juranovic praised experienced ex-Liverpool star Dejan Lovren for helping him and giving him advice as he won his 11th cap for his country.

And he compared the passion of a derby between Celtic and Rangers to a Croatian clash between his old club Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb.

He said: "It's a hard question which game is bigger, especially as it's difficult to compare anything with Hajduk's full Stadion Poljud.

"It was a wonderful feeling to play in a game between Celtic and Rangers though.

"The only thing that was strange to me was that I had to play as a left back.

"The manager wanted me to play there as he only had one young player left who was capable of playing that position due to injuries.

"I happily agreed with him because I wanted to make an impact in the derby.

"If there were no goalkeepers and he wanted me to play there, I would if I had to!

"Then I played in Russia and we collected a great point in a hostile atmosphere. I think we are in a good position in the qualifying group.

"I really enjoyed playing with Dejan Lovren and we have a great understanding. We talk about movements, he warns me when to leave the space. He is one of the leaders of our team and we all have to listen to him."

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