DEDRYCK Boyata feared his Champions League campaign was over back in July when his knee gave way in some poxy pre-season match in Prague.

The Celtic defender has been through injury trials and tribulations before, last season for example, but this niggle was a new one to him and his head immediately filled up with dark thoughts.

Indeed, this beast of a man was in tears as he limped from the park that summer afternoon. He knew it was serious. How serious he would soon find out.

“A lot of things come in your head. I was very upset because, first of all, I’ve never had that injury in my knee,” said Boyata. “I didn’t know what was going on but I knew it wasn’t good.

“When you get there, I was thinking I’ve just finished pre-season and then I’m injured again, so that means I’ve got to come back and do my rehab, do pre-season again, miss the Champions League qualifiers and I didn’t know if I was going to play in any of the Champions League because I didn’t know how long I’d be injured.

“It was supposed to be 12-weeks from the beginning, so normally I would be back in mid-October.

“You have a lot of things that go on in your head but now I’m here today that means I’ve done a lot of work to be here and to play the game tomorrow.

“Of course, missing the Champions League is what I had in my mind. You’re injured but you don’t know how long it will take. You don’t know exactly what is going on with your knee.

“It’s hard but today I’m not at that point, I feel I’m ready to give 100 percent.

“I have just returned from injury but I feel on top of my level. If the manager puts me on the pitch then he is putting his trust in me to be able to give 100 per cent. At that point I’m willing to give as much as I can to help the team win.

“I’m well ahead of schedule which means I’ve been working very hard with the team and I will play a Champions League game so I’ve come very far.”

Boyata has returned now only quicker than predicted but looking as strong as the player who finished last season as Brendan Rodgers’s “number one defender.”

The Belgian, playing in his home town tonight against Anderlecht, is yet another whose Celtic career was not only resurrected by the manager but put onto another level which previously had not been seen.

“Well, it feels good to hear the manager saying that,” said Boyata. “As a player, it’s great to have a manager that gives you his faith and when I’m playing I want to give him his faith back.

“It’s been difficult at the beginning because obviously for myself I wanted to show him what I could do but it took time. Knowing the faith he’s given me it feels good for myself.

“Playing at this level is something every player wants to do. I’ve been close to playing in this tournament before, I’ve been on the bench many times, but I haven’t actually played in the Champions League.

“It’s very important for myself. It has been very difficult. You get these moments that come sometimes and you don’t understand why but you need to be mentally strong.”

If things had turned out differently, Boyata could have been facing Celtic this evening.

Anderlecht have tried more than once to lure the 26-year-old, there was even talk of a possible bid last January.

“It’s funny, but there has been a lot of talk of me joining Anderlecht at different stages in my career but I didn’t sign,” said the Belgian.

“It has happened a lot of times but not when I joined Manchester City because I went there as a 16-year-old after playing in a tournament in Northern Ireland. But I trained with Anderlecht when I was young and the clubs were also talking a year ago.”

Anderlecht’s loss is Celtic’s gain.