Partick Thistle defender Frederic Frans today revealed how he felt like a proper Charlie turning up to training one day as a youngster at Lierse with a hole in one of his boots.

Thankfully for the big Belgian, former Rangers star Charlie Miller was on hand to spare his blushes.

He joked: “Charlie was the first Scottish guy I ever knew, so I had a great first impression.

“When I was 17 and he was playing for my team, I had a boot that was a little bit broken and he went in my locker, checked my size, and the next day I had new boots worth 200 Euros. I never had to pay him back, but that’s Charlie.”

The 26-year-old is gearing up for his second season in Scotland’s top flight after impressing for the Firhill club since joining last October.

He is sure that with a proper pre-season behind him, he can be even more effective for the Jags during this campaign.

“Last year I had to do pre-season by myself, and it was completely different,” he said.

“After a few games I had a small injury. One day I felt great, the next week I was a little bit up and down. When you get a full pre-season I think that first of all it’s easier to stay fit and your basic condition will be much better.”

Frans has lost one of his central defensive partners from last season, with Conrad Balatoni moving on to try his luck on trial with English League One side Bradford City.

He is sure that no matter who he is paired with this season there won’t be any issues with players failing to gel at the heart of the Thistle defence.

He said: “It depends.Last season Conrad and I gelled straight away and we never had a problem. I played a lot of games with Dan Seaborne as well and I think our first games together were really good.

“It’s just about talking and getting to know each other away from the pitch as well.”