MARC CROSAS helped Celtic defeat Derry City 1-0 at the Brandywell last night, with Ben Hutchinson knocking home the winner from a first- half free kick.

Now the Spanish midfielder hopes getting another game under his belt will push him towards a regular start for Gordon Strachan's side.

The 20-year-old played his first full 90 minutes for the first team in the weekend win over Hamilton. That was another landmark for the man signed from Barcelona in the summer, and Crosas has had every encouragement from the management that his Hoops career is heading in the right direction.

He is has already formed an impressive partnership in the heart of midfield alongside Scott Brown and told the Celtic View: "Scott is a very good player. His energy is incredible and he's always working for the team.

"That suits me because my style is a little different to Scott's. I think we complement each other well.

"It's a good mix. However, we have a lot of talented players in the midfield area.

"Paul Hartley has a lot of experience and was outstanding against Villarreal. Barry Robson is a good player, as is Massimo Donati. We're very strong in these positions.

"I am enjoying my role in front of the defence. At Barcelona we played 4-3-3 and I was on the right side of the central midfield area.

"With three central midfielders, one of the players has to be defensive all the time. With Celtic's 4-2 formation, two central players can take turns to make forward runs.

"So far, the manager has asked me to play in front of the defence mostly and that's good because I see the whole game ahead of me.

"I can take possession and make passes. I'm enjoying it.

"The manager has been great with me. He spoke to me about my performances. He has just said that he wants me to keep it up."