Aiden and Artur have still got pedigree to be the top dogs on return to Paradise

James McFadden led the way when he agreed to rejoin Motherwell, the club where he first burst to prominence as a precocious youngster.

Kris Boyd followed his lead by retracing his first steps to Kilmarnock, where his goal-scoring talent was initially recognised.

And Kevin Thomson has completed the big-name hat-trick by signing once again for Hibernian, the club responsible for launching him on a career which won him Scotland caps and moves to Rangers then Middlesbrough.

They say you should never go back, and time alone will tell if this trio can repeat the impact they made at these clubs first time around.

Given the respective routes they have taken back 'home', Fir Park, Rugby Park and Easter Road are perhaps more safe havens than heaven for all three.

But there is no doubt that even McFadden, Boyd or Thomson operating at 70% would add to the teams they have re-joined.

Which raises the question.Would any player who has moved on from Celtic Park add anything to Neil Lennon's side if they were to return?

The fact is that few men have left Parkhead in recent years and seen an upward trajectory in their career progression.

Club legend Henrik Larsson is the obvious exception, winning a Champions League medal with Barcelona before signing on for Manchester United.

Stiliyan Petrov has enjoyed a successful time at Aston Villa, until illness cruelly intervened. But even then, money more than medals has been his reward for making the switch south.

More recently, Ki Sung-Yeung did savour a glory day with Swansea City who collected the Capital One Cup shortly after switching from Celtic.

However, it is yet to be seen if the South Korean has truly moved up a rung or two in the career ladder by joining the Barclays Premier League side.

There are a clutch of others who, in the past few years, have made a successful transition to what is considered to be bigger and better leagues, including Gary Caldwell, Shaun Maloney, Jos Hooiveld, Artur Boruc and Massimo Donati.

But would any of them be welcomed with open arms by the Hoops support if they retraced their steps to Parkhead? Boruc may have the best chance.

More pertinently, would they enhance a side which has just reached the last 16 of the Champions League?

Maloney has already tried to follow the return route, and failed to recapture what he had shown to win his move to Aston Villa in the first place.

The Scotland star's second coming was a tortured time, too much of it spent in rehab rather than on the pitch as injuries pock-marked his reputation.

Gordon Strachan remained convinced he could recapture the form which made him Scotland's Player of the Year.

But eventually, another parting of the ways became inevitable, and Maloney has enjoyed much more success second time around in the Premier League with Wigan.

Caldwell is a team-mate in their annual battle to avoid the drop, and he too has proved his critics at Celtic – and there were many – wrong when they scoffed at the chances of him carving out a successful career in the English top flight when confronted by strikers of the quality of Luis Suarez, Robin van Persie and Carlos Tevez. It is unlikely either man would see a return to Parkhead as an ambition to be fulfilled. Equally unlikely is that they will be offered the chance.

So, who might the fans welcome back? And who might be able to pick up where they left off first time around?

Of those who could become available in the next few months, Aiden McGeady would appear to be best placed to tick both those boxes.

Of course, it took many rules – both in terms of transfer fee and wages – to entice the Republic of Ireland star to Moscow almost three years ago.

But all indications are that he has done that, got the T-shirt, and that a return to Britain appeals to him and his family.

At 26, he is entering the prime years of his career, and there is no doubt he has improved as a player with the experience he has gained during his time in Russia.

Perhaps more importantly, he has matured as a man, and become a very rich one in the process. Would he be an asset to this Celtic side? Well, Lennon has been on the hunt for an attacking left-sided player almost since he waved a less-than-fond farewell to the one-time enfant terrible.

McGeady's showings in this season's Champions League games against Celtic were muted, but that had a lot to do with the role he has been asked to play in the Spartak side.

Nevertheless, there were still reminders of what he can bring to the table.

The big question would be, could Celtic afford to compete with the likes of Wigan and Sunderland, who are expected to be vying for his services when the window opens at the end of the season? That's doubtful, but an emotional pull might add some weight to their pitch, should the Hoops decide to pursue him.

Other names which might be pitched the way of Celtic include Boruc, who is coming to the end of his short-term contract at Southampton, and Stephen McManus, who succeeded Lennon as Hoops captain and is another who will be a free agent when his difficult time at Middlesbrough concludes in a few months.

Of the two, the keeper would appear to have more going for him, in terms of a return to Paradise. Should Fraser Forster head south in the summer, as many believe he will, Lennon will need to bring in another No.1.

The search for that man was stepped up last summer before a deal was agreed with Newcastle to convert Forster's loan deal to a permanent contract.

The Holy Goalie was under serious consideration at that time as he came to the end of his inauspicious spell at Fiorentina.

Eventually, Southampton took the plunge. And after a difficult first few months, in recent games the 33-year-old has reminded everyone how good a keeper he can still be.

Of course, Lennon may be a man who does not believe steps should ever be retraced, though he himself did leave Celtic then return when invited to join Strachan's coaching staff.

But with every move into the market a gamble, it may be an attractive option to consider players he already knows.

After all, Charlie Mulgrew has shown it can be done