Former Celtic winger Didier Agathe believes that the current crop of Hoops players can emulate the squad of 2003 and make significant in-roads in the Europa League this season.

The Parkhead side were gutted at their failure to land a place in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League this season after a limp exit against Malmo.

The disappointment of that result has lingered, despite being placed in an appealing Europa League group with Ajax, Fenerbahce and Molde.

Agathe remembers the acute dejection felt when Celtic missed out on a place in Europe’s premier tournament after being put out at the qualifying stage by Swiss side Basel in 2002, but he believes that Celtic need to get their heads right for another crack at Continental opposition.

“Everyone knows how big the Champions League is and it is an awful feeling when you miss out on it,” said the former Celtic star, who now runs his own football academy in his homeland of La Reunion.

“But the most important thing now for Celtic is to get ready to go again. It has gone and cannot be fixed. But there is still a competition there which can bring them a lot of joy – and bring the supporters a lot of fun times as well.

“Why should they not feel that they can go all the way in the Europa League? When we made it to Seville in 20003 no-one expected us to go on the kind of run that we did.

“But if you are organised, have belief and can work hard in games for each other, anything is possible.”

Agathe was part of the Celtic side who humbled Ajax in the Amsterdam ArenA as Martin O’Neill’s side made dumped the Dutch side and made it into the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in their history.

And while he appreciates that things have changed considerably since then for both teams, he believes that Celtic can still get the better of Ajax and Fenerbahce.

“At Celtic Park, Celtic can beat anyone,” he said. “It is so difficult to try to explain why. There is such energy about the place on these nights. You can feel it in the air hours before the game kicks off.

“There is a sense of something special about to happen. It is different when they go away from home but in Glasgow, Celtic have the beating of anyone when they play well.

“It is so important for the fans that they get to see some big European nights this season. When you are a Celtic player you take so many things for granted – when you leave the club you really appreciate just how huge it is.

“With my work in the academy I am often in France and everyone knows what happened with Rangers. They all want to know what that has meant for Celtic. I think if you go and have a strong campaign in the Europa League it is a way to show that you are still a team with a strong pedigree in European football.”

Celtic have become reliant on bringing in young, up-and-coming talent and selling it on for significant profit as a successful business strategy but it has at times created a team which is always in a state of renewing.

Agathe played in a Celtic side that changed very little over the course of a few seasons – the spine of Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton, Alan Thompson, John Hartson, Stilian Petrov and Johan Mjalllby – were mainstays, and that consistency is something few other Celtic managers have been able to luxuriate in.

“It is different now,” acknowledged Agathe. “But I still think as a player there is nothing like those European nights at Celtic Park. If you want to make a name for yourself, Celtic is a great place to go and do it.”