Davie Hay: Virgil staying at Celtic will help him prove he has Euro pedigree

The club do not need to sell Van Dijk. That is clear.

Despite reported interest from England and quotes attributed to him during the summer about seeking a transfer, I think he will remain in place.

What’s more, that will not be down to an order from the board. It will be a mutual decision.

There may be some kind of astronomical offer from somewhere that would have to be considered, but the same situation existed last year and he went nowhere despite Celtic failing to make it to the group stages.

The Champions League would be a massive lure for him. He may move on in January or during the course of next season, but the appeal of testing himself – and proving his ability – on that particular stage is clear.

Celtic can’t compete with the levels of finance in England. He would boost his bank balance by going there, of course, but he will get that move in time should he continue performing to a high level.

Like everyone, he must believe he has a good chance of reaching that proving ground of the group stages this term and I certainly believe he will.

Whoever they drew out of Astana, Skenderbeu, Partizan Belgrade, Malmo and Maccabi Tel Aviv, the signs were favourable for Celtic ahead of this morning’s draw.

Ronny Deila said it himself in the wake of making it through from the third qualifying round and I agree with him that the opposition will not be any more difficult a test than Qarabag when you factor in all the travelling, the heat and the difficult surface that had to be overcome in the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium on Wednesday evening.

The trip will have been a good experience for the team as a whole and another step in their development.

There will no doubt be a degree of focus in the coming week over the side’s failure to beat Maribor at this stage last season. The team is much better prepared this year, though.

The players know each other, they are playing with greater confidence and awareness of each other and the team more or less picks itself.

Charlie Mulgrew’s injury confuses matters a little, but the only real question mark for me is whether or not Deila plays Nadir Ciftci home and away.

Ciftci is still finding his feet at the club and there is no question he was isolated at times in Azerbaijan, but he will improve as he gets up to speed.

I really think that he is suited to away games in Europe.

Thanks to his obvious goal threat, there is a case for playing Leigh Griffiths at home at the moment while Ciftci establishes himself, but Ciftci suits the system better than him.

He has a physical presence for these away matches in Europe, but, even though there were signs of improvement on Wednesday, he is not there yet.

Deila is in a different situation than this time last year as well. There were big question marks over him back then.

He turned things round and gained the acceptance of his supporters, but making the group stages of the Champions League will really confirm that he is a bona-fide Celtic manager.

It would be an important achievement for him and a real step forward.The signs are there that it is going to happen.

He has the team organised, fit and positive and doing what is expected. He is maintaining the way Celtic should play.

Qarabag looked a decent side in the first leg, but Celtic handled things well. The Azerbaijani champions pretty much confirmed my view from the opening match at Parkhead in that they did not carry much of a goal threat.

Celtic finished the stronger of the two teams and could have scored a winner.

I saw improvement in the space of a week and that should continue ahead of the play-off round.

Celtic played better in the away leg than they did at home. It was a real test with the travelling, the bumpy pitch and the heat. All these other things that make it more of a challenge.

Deila did not make any excuses and he was right to do so because that can filter through to the players and affect them.

I’d say he pretty much got his team right.

He will need to be on top of things again over the course of these two massive matches in Europe, but the opportunity is there for him and his players.

This time round, I don’t think there will be any mistakes.

In Gord we trust is the shout for Craig pals

CRAIG GORDON has been phenomenal for Celtic – and there is a comparison that can be made between him and the great Ronnie Simpson.

They are different styles of goalkeepers, not to mention different heights, but Ronnie arrived at Celtic from Hibs fairly late in his career at the age of 33 and went on to become a major figure at the club, helping Jock Stein’s side to European Cup glory in 1967.

Gordon found himself in a position not so long ago where it looked as though he might not be playing football again.

He made one great save from Richard Almeida of Qarabag on Wednesday night and has proven himself time and time again since signing up at Parkhead.

I think he is an even better player than he was before those two years out of the game.

Everyone felt it was going to be incredibly difficult to find a replacement for Fraser Forster following his £10million move to Southampton, but he is at least as good as him if not better.

You can sense when watching games that he relates well to his defenders. The communication is clearly there and it is superb.

When you have a keeper like that behind you, it instils confidence in the entire side. I played with Ronnie and that’s the way he made the outfield players feel at Celtic.

It really is something when you know that, should your defence be breached, that last line of defence is going to bail you out.

I had to give up playing football at a relatively early age because of injury. I know how hard it is to face up to that prospect and deal with it.

It is a trying time when you are out there on your own and trying to get fit and goalkeeper is an even more isolated position.

I cannot admire Gordon enough. The team has complete and utter trust in him – just the same way the teams that Simpson played with believed in him.

It is a special weapon in any side’s armoury.

Bitton is vital part of Hoops triangle

NIR BITTON looked more like a basketball player than a football player when he first turned up in Glasgow.

His fine display against Qarabag in the heat of Azerbaijan on Wednesday night simply underlines the fact that he has since become a central part of what Ronny Deila is attempting to create at Celtic.

The Israeli is just a good, good midfield player, whether he operates beside Scott Brown or behind him in the triangle that Celtic like to operate in the centre of the field.

He has really upped his game since coming back from injury and a slow start last season and is now a deserved regular.

His energy levels seem much better, he is good on the ball and his game awareness has improved, which has maybe been a direct result of just settling in and feeling part of the side.

As I have stated elsewhere, the Celtic team almost picks itself and he forms a great threesome in the centre of the park with Brown and Stefan Johansen. They complement each other very well, indeed.

When he plays beside Brown, they are able to switch positions and seem to understand what each other is doing within the flow of the game.

If one goes forward, the other can sit and that gives the team a strong engine room.

He operated at the base of the triangle against Qarabag and was just as accomplished there.

That degree of versatility makes him valuable.

Your question for Davie Hay

FRANK BROWN of Maryhill asks: “Should Ronny Deila freshen things up against Partick on Sunday after the long trip home from Azerbaijan?”

David says: “I’d say so. Leigh Griffiths, Kris Commons and James Forrest finished the game against Qarabag in midweek and I think there is a lot of sense in them starting at Firhill.

“Nadir Ciftci can’t play and the other attacking players put in a real shift the other night. Celtic don’t have a midweek game next week and the result in Azerbaijan will eliminate any feelings of tiredness, but I’d play those three and see how Charlie Mulgrew is too.”

If you have a question for Davie, just email him at davie.hay@eveningtimes.co.uk and we’ll print the answer alongside the question.