KOLO Toure’s playing career lasted longer than most,was filled with success and when the end came hardly a box remained un-ticked.

The Ivorian picked up 120 international caps, won the African Cup of Nations, Manchester City's first title in the Premier Leaue era and was an Invincible with Arsenal and then last season at Celtic.

There was no way Brendan Rodgers was going to allow so much experience and professionalism to simply walk out of Celtic when the now 36-year-old decided to retire from playing.

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This is why Toure returned to the club this month as a technical assistant having called it a day on his playing career.

And for a man who did just about everything in football, Toure is thrilled to continue his career in the game as a coach.

Speaking to the Celtic View, Toure said: “I’m very happy to be back. It’s a great time for me and couldn’t be happier to be back at this club.

“Celtic is a great club and to be able to come back and work with a fantastic club and a fantastic manager is amazing.

"The staff, people around the manager and people around the club are all great people and I’m looking forward to working with them.

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“This is a new chapter in my career, a new beginning. The football is over now. I can officially say I am retired from playing and this is a new chapter which is coaching. I have always been in this environment and, for me, it was really important that I stay with it.

"I like to give advice, I like to help young players to improve themselves and get better. I don’t think there is a better place for me to be.”

Toure has all the key ingredients to become a coach and also as a role model to all the young players at Celtic.

Even when he didn’t play last season, his Rodgers spoke often of his influence on the academy kids.

Indeed, once the manager interrupted the youth team’s lunch to show them the old man, who was never going to play that Saturday, killing himself in the gym. This is someone who leads by example.

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And his part in helping the team to last seasons Champions League group stages cannot be over-estimated.

Toure said: “I have been in the game for almost 20 years and 15 years at the top level so I have learned a lot. On top of that, I have been in the UK for a long time so I know the leagues and style of football played here as well as the mentality, so I think that’s really important for my new role.

“It’s difficult to just start something new as you don’t know what to expect. That why for me, the environment is really important. I just finished my playing career at Celtic so to come back and start with people I knew before was really important.

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“I had a really good relationship with everyone here and that was really important because I know people will help me become better in my new role.

“The players here are amazing and are very good players. Scott Brown, our captain, is a great guy and it is a good group of players to work with.

"It’s a wonderful club, a fantastic place to learn."