ERIK Sviatchenko today dismissed fears that playing in the Kirin Cup this summer will prevent him from performing at his best with Celtic in their Champions League qualifiers early next season.

Hoops centre half Sviatchenko is hoping to be selected by Denmark for the four way tournament involving hosts Japan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria in the Far East next month.

The 24-year-old defender has played 39 games for Denmark, Midtjylland and Celtic so far in the 2015/16 campaign and could be forgiven for wanting to take a break from competitive football.

Certainly, several of his team mates will be taking some well-earned time off in the coming weeks – his skipper Scott Brown played his last club game of the season against Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday.

And it is unclear if he and the other Scotland internationalists in the Parkhead squad will travel with the national team to Malta and France for friendlies against Euro 2016 finalists Italy and France.

But Sviatchenko said: “Denmark goes to Japan for matches and I will do everything I can to be selected. I think I have shown what I am capable of here and I think I’ll be in the squad.

“I want to be involved. I have only played here since January and the other guys have played a lot more matches than I have, so it’s an honour to be with the national team and I’d never say no.

“It might be better to keep playing. It’s always a balance between holidays and recharging batteries or just keep on going. I feel in a good flow at the moment and I could keep going because my body feels great and I feel great.

“Sometimes, you need to look at the bigger picture. The season is long and you need to build it up and not peak too early. I think it’s fine. Hopefully I’ll go away, have good sessions and games with the national team.

“The club knows about the international players playing and, maybe, we’ll get five days more break. It’s about being professional. We’ll have our programme.”

Meanwhile, Sviatchenko has predicted Brondby will be the first of several European clubs to show an interest in appointing Deila as their manager when he leaves Celtic in the summer.

Danish television station TV3 have reported that Deila is a potential candidate to take over at Brondby along with the former Celtic player Morten Wieghorst.

The Norwegian announced last month that he would stand down at Parkhead at the end of the 2015/16 season despite his side retaining the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Sviatchenko, who was signed by Deila from Danish Superliga club Midtjylland for £1.5 million in January, reckons he will do well if he decides to move to his homeland.

However, the centre half has predicted that Brondby won’t be the last club to target the 40-year-old as a result of his achievements in his two years in Scotland.

“I could see Ronny being a success at Brondby,” he said. “It’s a big club. Not compared to Celtic, but it is the biggest in Denmark, fan-wise as well. If that was reality, I think they’d be a good match.

“But I think there will be interest in the manager. To come to a club this size and perform isn’t easy, it’s not just for free that you get victories and trophies.

“It’s something you have to work for and lots of credit must go to the manager for winning. To see him succeed in a new club will be nice.”

Sviatchenko, who led the celebrations at Tynecastle on Saturday as Celtic beat Hearts to effectively secure another Scottish title, confirmed Deila had remained focused despite announcing that he intended to stand down.

“I’ve seen no difference in the manager,” he said. “He’s been really professional and shown his passion when we are out on the training pitches. He’s in it and shows he still wants it.

“It’s not about him changing, it’s a choice that he made and we all respect that. We will do the job we will do and we’re professional, so we do our jobs as we would any normal day.”

Roy Keane is the latest big name to be linked with Celtic – SportTimes revealed yesterday that the Republic of Ireland assistant manager had been sounded out about taking over at Parkhead.

Sviatchenko admitted that Deila’s replacement may want to make changes and bring in his own players, but insisted he was unconcerned about his own position in the Celtic squad.

“I’m not concerned,” he said. “It’s natural a new coach will come in, do adaptations and do what he thinks is needed. That is natural when coaches are replaced and there will be some changes. I will respect what the new manager will say.”

Sviatchenko, a part-time model and fashion blogger, did an impromptu dance for the Celtic fans following the 3-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday and hopes to party some more if his side win against Aberdeen on Sunday.

“The dancing was a moment of joy from my side,” he said. “My shoulder was hurting and I thought: ‘Could I do a somersault?’ I thought I could dance instead. I’m breaking the internet. I’ll need to train more to do Efe’s somersault.

“But it was nice to see the boys having fun and see the smiles of everyone’s faces. The fans were signing and cheering and you have to embrace it when you win. We have to be together and that was a good example.

“Winning on Sunday would be a tremendous way to finish the season. I won the championship in Denmark 11 months ago and now I’m here in Scotland and, hopefully, lifting the championship trophy here. It’s been some year, you could say.”