RONNY DEILA considers Efe Ambrose to be something of a renaissance man - or should that be Bhoy.

The Nigerian defender had been a mainstay of the Celtic defence in his first two seasons at the club, even getting into the Champions League team of the week for his performance against Barcelona in the Nou Camp.

But since Deila took over from Neil Lennon and brought in loan-signing Jason Denayer as a partner for Virgil van Dijk, Ambrose has found himself marginalised.

His temporary shift to right-back as cover for the injured Mikael Lustig and Adam Matthews was short lived.

And since he dropped out of the starting XI, the Hoops have enjoyed their best run of form and results under Deila's leadership.

The man who cost £1.2million when he joined from FC Ashdod in 2012 looked to be heading for the exit door in January, with Olimpiacos reputed to be willing to pay £3m.

But Deila spotted a change in the way the 26-year-old has approached training, and rewarded this with re-instatement to the team.

The major surprise is Ambrose is now playing at left-back, while Emilio Izaguirre recovers from the broken finger sustained in last week's defeat against Inter Milan.

In the San Siro, Ambrose was brought on to plug the huge gap left when van Dijk was red-carded in the first half, and Deila was impressed by the way he stood up to almost all that Inter could throw at him.

But given his CV - he has helped Nigeria lift the African Cup of Nations and played in the Confederations Cup and the World Cup - such high-level displays should not be a surprise.

Facing St Johnstone in a league game tonight should not be anywhere near as daunting.

But Ambrose will treat it with every bit as much importance as any final as he is desperate to retain his place in the side at such a crucial point in the campaign.

"Playing left-back isn't something I was hoping for," he admitted.

"But at the same time, it's about the team. And if the gaffer calls me up and believes I can do it, then I believe in my abilities as well.

"I've played a couple of times there for the national team and at the Beijing Olympics when I was younger.

"We took the silver medal. Angel Di Maria scored the winning goal for Argentina in the final, a 1-0 win, and Lionel Messi played, too."

Ambrose is intelligent enough to realise that, when Izaguirre recovers - Deila reports he is already badgering him to play - the chances are he will be looking for another position to fill.

So every minute of game time is precious to him as it is a chance to show the manager he is a reformed character.

He explained: "The gaffer wants me to improve my communication because I don't like talking - only action.

"To play at centre-half, you must speak and control. But, for me, I prefer to work.

"He lets me know communication makes my job easier because I can control things better on the pitch.

"As a defender, togetherness is good. We move and talk together, and I'm getting better and better every time.

"I can be one of the main men at the back."

Ambrose continued: "It's important to make the gaffer's job difficult and give him selection headaches.

"That brings the best out of the players and the team."

Which is Deila's aim, and the results are now speaking for themselves with the Treble inching closer every game.

Ambrose is excited and said: "It's been such a long time since we achieved this at Celtic, so imagine what it would be like for the players, the fans and the club."