Nir Bitton looks like being the next player at Celtic to attract the interest of the Premiership.

I have to say that I had my doubts about the Israeli midfielder but over the course of the last year I think he has really kicked on and proven that he is a guy who can play at a decent level.

He has improved immeasurably to the extent that along with Scott Brown he is probably one of the first names on the team-sheet.

He has become an influential player and although there are still aspects of his game that he can work on – I felt that he wasn’t at his best against Malmo or Aberdeen up at Pittodrie, although that criticism could have been levelled at the whole team – he is a guy whom I am not surprised is attracting interest from elsewhere.

It was suggested that Arsenal watched him last week when Celtic hosted Fenerbahce and he is the next player whom Celtic can expect to bring in a tidy sum, although I cannot imagine that they would be willing to part with him before the end of the season.

If you look at what Victor Wanyama has done at Southampton and even Beram Kayal and the way he has played since moving to Brighton, I do think that Bitton would be able to step up a level.

He has an opportunity to underline that ability with the remaining games that Celtic have in the Europa League because they are against a decent standard of opposition.