Scott Sinclair has insisted that he set his sights on returning to Celtic after the summer break ready to pick up where he left off.

The winger, who netted 25 goals as he won the PFA Player of the Year awards last term, and has been quick to show the same sharpness.

Sinclair was irked that UEFA gave his goal in the first leg against Linfield in Belfast last week to defender Mark Haughey, although he wasted little time in tormenting the Windsor Park side again when they arrived in Glasgow earlier this week.

The winger added two goals to his tally and he is eager to maintain the same level once the season properly gets underway.

“That is what I am trying for on a personal level,” he said. “I am trying to pick up where I left off and get up to speed with the goals and my performances. With each game I am getting better and better.

“It was a great performance, the team did very well, the way we controlled the game and came away with the win. We couldn’t be happier.”

Olivier Ntcham, Celtic’s most expensive signing for a decade, also put in an impressive competitive debut and Sinclair believes that the key to the new arrivals gelling quickly lies in how well prepared they have been for the games.

“Everything is running smoothly,” Sinclair told Celtic TV. “The main thing is that the new players come on board and they know exactly what they are doing when they come on. They have been here for a few weeks so over time they will get better and better every time.”

Australian midfielder Tom Rogic is another who looks to have picked up where he left off, with Brendan Rodgers hoping to see the player hit at least 15 goals this season.

“He is an exceptional player and the beauty with Tom is that he has come back fit,” said Rodgers. “Tom is one of the players right up to speed fitness wise as he been training and playing games for virtually all of his off-season.

“He has come back and you see the level of his game. He’s a fantastic talent and if he can stay fit this year, he can go on and get 15-plus goals.

“Availability is always important for players to play and performs consistently at the highest level, and he was unfortunate when he missed about three months of last season.”

Meanwhile, Jonny Hayes has admitted that he was caught in the moment as he took his place for his first European game on Wednesday night at Celtic Park.

“For a while I was caught up just looking at the crowd, it was quite entertaining,” said the Irishman. “Being part of it rather than looking on from the outside was brilliant. It was a great atmosphere.

“It has been brilliant. I am getting more and more comfortable around the place and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction, playing games straight away.”