The backdrop was rather fitting. With snow-covered, blizzard-battered Lennoxtown looking whiter than an industrial incident at the Persil warehouse, the strapping young Norwegian, Kristoffer Ajer, could have been auditioning for a part as one of his decorated countrymen in a remake of The Heroes of Telemark as he plonked himself down in front of the assembled press.

The 19-year-old is clearly up for the fight, after all. “I’m sacrificing my body for this team,” he declared as he continues his transition from midfielder to defender.

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“I’ve been in the gym after every training session since day one here and it’s been beneficial for me to bulk up a bit. It’s something different to play for Celtic. When you go out and hear 60,000 fans screaming and hoping you win then you put everything you can into the game.”

Ajer is not the first player, and he certainly won’t be the last, to start off in one position and develop in another. He doesn’t need to look too far from home for inspiration either.

“Brede Hangeland was the captain of Norway for a long, long time,” noted Ajer. “He was someone I admired and he also played as a central midfielder when he was younger.

“We’ve taken a similar path. When I was 15 and involved in my first national squad he was there to talk to us and give us information and pass on experience. He was a big, big player and all of us looked up to him. It was great to see him and get advice.”

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Ajer’s progression has not been without its hiccups, of course. A particularly fraught night against Astana in the Champions League qualifier last August had the Celtic fans peering on gingerly with hands over the eyes as the rearguard creaked and shoogled like the outhouse door in a stiff breeze.

Without a trio of senior central defenders, Brendan Rodgers pitched the unfamiliar pairing of Ajer and Nir Bitton into the heart of the back four.

Ajer’s own goal aided Astana’s rousing charge as they threatened to overturn a 5-0 first leg deficit before order was restored, defibrillators were packed away and Celtic eased through.

It was all part of the learning process for Ajer. Asked if he would be confident should he be flung back into the European fray against Zenit St Petersburg, he defiantly said: “Yes. I’m here to do my best every single game.”

Before that, though, there is William Hill Scottish Cup duty this weekend for Celtic against a Brechin City team who have still to record a league win this season

“I played in a few cup games back in Norway but it was always against teams who were in the same league,” said Ajer of this step into the unknown. “This is a big game for them and we’ll respect them.”