The Champions League is made for Ange Postecoglou and Celtic will excel in Europe's elite competition under the Australian.
That is the view of the Hoops boss' fellow countryman and former League of Ireland star Adam Hughes, who came up against a number of Postecoglou's sides Down Under as a player.
Celtic are back in the Champions League group stages for the first time in five years and have been paired with defending champions Real Madrid, as well as RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk.
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There were some spirited displays from the Scottish champions in the Europa League last season before a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt ended their European campaign in the Conference League back in February.
But with a proper pre-season under their belts and a much more balanced squad, Hughes believes Celtic will be a different proposition in Europe this time around.
Postecoglou's appointment as Celtic boss raised plenty of eyebrows at the time, but former Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers midfielder Hughes always believed that his fellow countryman would bring success to the Glasgow giants.
He told The Irish Mirror: "Postecoglou has led the way for the country here for a long time. We've known about him as a top class manager for a long time.
"When he was manager of Brisbane they were playing a style of football that hadn't been seen really within Australia before.
"I could see from sitting back watching and playing against them, sometimes you were just chasing shadows on the park.
"These players were of no better individual quality but it was just the style of play, the movement and the belief that he has in the players and the way he can send a team out on the park to always have that belief from start to finish.
"He's very clear with his style of play. I think he's a fantastic manager.
"One of my friends phoned me from Ireland when he was about to be appointed and asked what I thought of it.
"I said 'you'll be fine, you'll see the changes he'll make, and maybe in five years time he'll be coaching at Manchester City'.
"I'm glad he's gone in and achieved what I thought he would achieve, but I think he's just getting started.
"I think he can really go in now and start to make the imprint with him building the football club to a massive level and get it back within the top European ranks."
Many have been surprised by how quickly Postecoglou has turned things around at Celtic given the mess he walked into at the club last summer, but Hughes says that is something the former Socceroos boss has done throughout his career.
He stated: "The style of play, how quickly he can implement his philosophy and style of play within the playing group is something to be seen.
"How they can transform and relate to that. He's so clear within his style and what he wants to do that the players have no choice. You adapt or he'll find the next player that can come in and fit that style of play.
"I think he's crystal clear within the playing group as to what he wants to do. The players have full respect.
"As you see the way he conducts himself is top class and that's why he has the buy-in from everyone from the board to the fans to the players. It's a pleasure really to see the team performing at that level now.
"I've played against his teams a couple of times over the years when I was playing with Adelaide United and Perth Glory. He was still involved at Brisbane Roar. I can remember when he initially came in, he really turned it on its head, had a clearout and brought in who he wanted to come in and that was it.
"He came in and just really got it going and once he implemented what he needed to get done with the players and his style of play, I think they went on a 30 something game unbeaten streak. It was just phenomenal.
"You'd come up against them and the movement and the speed of play and the way that the rotations were going, it was hard to deal with as an opposition player but all credit to him.
"He's very clear on what he wants to do and he's successful in what he does. It's just fine tuning the way he does it and he has that success wherever he goes now."
Australian football legend Harry Kewell joined Celtic as a first-team coach in the close season and Hughes believes Postecoglou's attacking philosophy will remain with the former striker if he goes on to become a manager himself.
Hughes added: "I think it's great that he's gone in under Ange's wing. He'll go in there and really develop as a manager himself. I think this will really round him out to be a top class manager and help him out with his future as well if that's what path he wants to go down.
"I think the majority of the assistant coaches that have come in under Ange, you sort of see his style of play come out within those coaches once they take head coach roles.
"Where I am in Newcastle, Arthur Papas, who was assistant coach to Ange in Japan, you can see the style of play he's implementing here. It's high tempo, quick style of football, high pressing, it's very attacking, it's beautiful to watch and it works tremendously well when it clicks.
"You can see some of those things coming from Ange's style so obviously it rubs off and influences the people that are there working with him."
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