Former Manchester United youngster Lee O'Connor has named Juan Mata as the player who always set the standard at the club.
The 19-year-old defender signed for Celtic on European transfer deadline day last September after agreeing a four-year deal with the Scottish champions for an undisclosed fee.
O'Connor impressed during his three years at United and made 21 appearances for the Under-23 side last season but never made a senior appearance for the club.
The Ireland youth international was involved in plenty of first-team training sessions at the club, and he has revealed how Mata always led by example.
“I was around [the first team] a couple of times," he said.
"Obviously, they trust their academy a lot so you’ll be training with them sometimes and you’re around the first team every day so you see what good pros they are. You see everything they’re doing and you learn a lot.
“They’re all world class players but for me, the person that stood out in training was Juan Mata. He was fantastic. He was a model pro every day and he has really stuck in my mind. I couldn’t get near him!"
O'Connor has settled well into life at Celtic but has secured a loan move to Partick Thistle as he looks to make his senior debut in men's football.
He added: "It’s something that I was really looking forward to doing and I’m happy that [the move] is over the line, and now I’m looking forward to Saturday.
“I think everyone at [Celtic] knows it’s important that I play football. I’ve played a lot of reserve football so it’s time for me to show what I can do in men’s football.”
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