Kieran Tierney isn’t the only former Celt to return to Glasgow’s east end this summer.
As the left-back put it himself, there was an air of ‘getting the band back together’ when Ross Doohan re-joined Celtic this week.
The goalkeeper, 27, put pen to paper on a three-year deal this week as he sealed a return to his boyhood club.
The goalkeeper was a free agent following the expiry of his contract at Aberdeen, where he signed after a spell south of the border.
The recent full Scotland debutant – who came to Steve Clarke’s rescue after injuries suffered by Angus Gunn and Robby McCrorie in the international double-header at the start of the month – will compete alongside Viljami Sinisalo to be back-up to the undisputed Celtic first-choice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
With Scott Bain away, Doohan essentially takes his place in the squad, helping with the club’s home-grown quota for the Champions League.
Doohan knows Tierney’s return from Arsenal is the headline news among supporters. But he’s determined to prove his worth after coming back to the club he loves following three years away from Celtic Park.
“I've had a few conversations with him, but I worked under him before, so he knows what he's getting from me and I'm looking forward to working under him again because he's a top, top manager,” the keeper explained before addressing his relationship with Tierney.
“KT was a year older than me growing up in the youth teams, but we obviously played together a lot.
“You obviously know the type of player KT is, what he’s like and the type of person he's like, so it's another great addition to the squad.
“I spoke to him when I went away on Scotland duty, so we were both there together when I got the late call.
“He was there chatting, but I've known KT for years now, so I was just looking forward to getting back to it. I think he said to me when I saw him it was about getting the band back together.
“He said that to me when I saw him so it's obviously great coming back and then me and him in the same situation, leaving a few years then later both coming back.
“We've always had a good relationship. We spoke a lot, although, in the last few years, maybe not as much. But every time we see each other, we chat away and always had the conversation.
“I've got the relationship with Tony [Ralston} because he was in the same youth squad as me from 13, so we went right through it together. We’re pretty close.
“One of my loan spells was at Ayr, so me and Luke [McCowan] played together for quite a bit. We played together for two seasons, so I still keep in contact with him, so it's good to come back to a good few familiar faces.”
Doohan never managed to play a senior game for Celtic alongside Tierney, so, he is hoping to do so in his second spell at the club. They featured heavily in the Under-17s, 19s and 20s during their academy days.
If he’s to do so, the chances are he’ll require either, a loss or form from Schmeichel, or to take advantage of someone else’s misfortune on the injury front.
Doohan was part of a tight-knit goalkeeper network at Lennoxtown before. He would have worked closely with Fraser Forster, Joe Hart and Craig Gordon in the past. So, he’s fully aware of the standards set within the squad he’s arriving into.
He said: “I'm buzzing about working with him because you've seen the level Kasper’s played at.
“To go in and train day in, day out with him, can only put myself in good stead and to try and pick up wee traits of his that could maybe benefit my game and put me, maybe step me on and make me that bit better. It's the same with working with Vil.
“Obviously he came in and played a few games towards the end of last season. You've seen the level he's at, but I feel like any place I go, the goalkeepers I work with, I just try and pick up bits and pieces from them and add them into my game.
“I'm just buzzing about working with Woodsy [Stevie Woods] because they're top goalie coaches and even with Colin Meldrum as well, the youth goalie coach that I had here. I just can't wait to get going.
“Kasper’s all-round game is great. The calmness he's got with it. But like you said, with the ball at his feet, he's different level, I think.
“So I'll just try and pick up bits and pieces from every part of his game and try and implement it into mine if it can make me a better keeper. I'm looking forward to that.”
Doohan signed permanently for Forest Green Rovers when he departed Celtic in 2022. Here, he played under Duncan Ferguson, during the former Scotland, Dundee United and Rangers striker’s brief stint in charge.
While it didn’t go to plan for Ferguson, Doohan was grateful for the experience of working with him.
“Big Dunc is a great guy,” he added. “The time at Forest Green, we didn't do too great, but you could see what he was like as a guy and that. He was brand new, so there's not too much complaints there working under him.
“He came in maybe two weeks after I joined. Everyone's got their reputation, but you only get to see it at face value when you actually meet them.
“The times I spoke to him, he was brand new. Obviously, I was down there, a bit away from home, but he always helped and asked if I was all right, chatted away. I've not got a bad word to say about him.
“There were a few Scottish people there. There was a wee group of us there, so you could say that as well. When he came in, working under him, it was an experience.
“It was good and something that's landed me in good stead coming through. I feel every club I've been at, every experience I've had, has led me to where I am now. I wouldn't change anything for the world.”
