RONNNY DEILA was not the man that brought Stefan Johansen to Celtic.

 

But the Norwegian midfielder is fully aware of who not only made the dream switch possible, but potentially saved his career from a premature nosedive.

Johansen first crossed paths with his current manager back in 2011 when he was recruited from FK Bodo by Deila.

At the tender age of 20 he admits himself he was far from the creative ball player that has racked up over 15 caps for his country.

Lacking the right application and attitude, he was taken under Deila's wing and put on the path to progression.

Soon his performances improved and his talent shone through, leading Johansen of course to land a £2million move to Scotland when Neil Lennon brought him to the Scottish champions.

Speaking exclusively to SportTimes, the Celtic star is open and honest about how bad a place he was in when he first joined Stromsgodset back in 2011.

And the 24-year-old revealed that he believes if it was not for the intervention of now-Parkhead manager Deila, his dream switch from Norway to Scotland would never have taken place.

"No, no. When I came to Stromsgodset he helped me and gave me a chance. If he didn't do that then I don't think so," said Johansen.

"It just didn't mean that much to me. I was young and I didn't sleep as much as I could or should have.

"When I went there he told me the right things and he turned me into a professional footballer.

"I'm very thankful for the way he told me that and made me. He told me straight 'this is what you need to do' and I did it.

"That's exactly the help I needed at the time."

He added: "It's impossible to say [if he saved my career] or how much he assisted me, but of course he was a big help.

"At that time I needed it."

When one manager departs a club it can often prove to be a period of uncertainty for many players as they feel the need to prove their worth to the replacement.

There was no such need for Johansen, given the mutual respect which exists between the two men.

Under Deila the Norwegian internationalist has already played 51 games across five different competitions this season, scoring a total of 10 goals.

While he still managed to feature 21 times last campaign despite only being there for half the season, it is undeniable his influence on matches has greatly increased under his fellow countryman.

In Europe Johansen played a key role in Celtic's progression to the last 32, and he was one of the main orchestrators on Sunday as the Hoops lifted the League Cup at Hampden.

Above all else, he proclaims that he is enjoying his football more than ever. And he is open about the reason behind it.

"It's important to have a manager who knows you," explained Johansen. "Ronny probably knows me better than anyone and was the one that got me from a little bit down to get up.

"To have him here it has helped me a lot to develop as a player and I'm thankful to have him as a gaffer."

Is he the best manager Johansen has worked under?

"Yeah, of course, it's difficult to say anything else.

"I was down when I came to Stromsgodset and he made it clear what I had to do better on and he gave me the chance.

"Of course he is an important manager for my career considering where I am now. To have him at Celtic is just great.

"It's helped me. Like I say, I know him well and he talks to me on what I need to be better at."

While Johansen will not feature in tonight's William Hill Scottish Cup replay against Dundee United at Parkhead due to suspension, he can reflect on a productive afternoon's work on Sunday.

In what was the first piece of silverware of the season, the Norwegian enjoyed yet another commanding game in what has arguably been the best season of his career.

Despite having a large squad which was used perhaps excessively early on in the season, Johansen has become a dependable rock for Celtic through stormy waters.

Whether it will be plane sailing from here on in as Celtic go for a domestic treble is still up for debate.

Regardless, the talented midfielder is looking forward to the journey ahead under Deila's leadership.

"I think I'm in the best form of my career," he said.

"I feel that my body is responding well to this amount of games. It's the first season I've played over 45 games.

"It's just great the body is responding this well and I'm scoring goals and getting assists. I'm very happy with my performances, but there is a long way to go."

Johansen added: "But I also think the team is starting to show that the team is going to even get better as we play the way he wants us to.

"This is the reason why you play football, you want to play in games where you can win titles.

"We won the final on Sunday and have a quarter-final tonight, it's much fun. That's the best thing as a footballer.

"It's a great feeling."