STUART ARMSTRONG was astonished to watch Virgil van Dijk bang home sensational free kicks in back-to-back games....

 

Because he claimed he has never seen the Dutchman do it even once in training.

The defender followed up his wonder strike against Inverness in Sunday's Scottish cup semi final by hammering home another for what turned out to be the inner against Dundee.

Armstrong was full of admiration for the quality of the strikes, but confessed: "He is a classy player, but I am surprised he has scored two in a row.

"I have never seen him score one in training.

"But, he is an exceptional talent. He has so much composure at the back and helps Jason Denayer along, too.

"The two of them have been solid all season.

"It's a big advantage to have two guys like that at the back, with the full-backs, too.

"There is quality in every position, and that's something you soon realise when you come to Celtic."

Armstrong insisted the Hoops were not out to prove a point at Dens Park - just win three - after Sunday's cup exit.

He said: "Were all disappointed at the weekend, and it was quite nice to have a game so quickly.

"I thought we all did very well.

"At points, it was maybe a little scrappy. But, three points was the most important thing, and we got them.

"We wanted to bounce back, and the importance of the game was high.

"I think we showed that with our performance."

The £1.8million signing from Dundee United in January has learned quickly how much pressure there is to bounce back quickly because so much scrutiny is focused on the league leaders.

But, with characters like skipper Scott Brown leading them, he is confident that they will stand up to each and every challenge.

"Everyone loves to win, but especially him," said Armstrong of his inspirational team-mate.

"This was an important game because we wanted to extend our lead at the top, and we have done that.

"Now we focus on the next one."

That's across the road on Sunday at Armstrong's old stomping ground, Tannadice, where another major step can be taken towards clinching his first medal in senior football.