Former Celtic defender Christopher Jullien admits he had a "complicated" relationship with Ange Postecoglou after being frozen out of the Parkhead picture last term.
The centre-back was snapped up in £7million swoop from Toulouse by Neil Lennon back in June 2019 and was a key part of the Hoops' title-winning defence working under the Northern Irishman. However, a serious knee injury picked up after a collision with the post against Dundee United saw the Frenchman spend 18 months on the sidelines, as he made just one appearance under Ange Postecoglou during a Scottish Cup fourth round win over Raith Rovers.
With Cameron Carter-Vickers, Carl Starfelt, Stephen Welsh and summer recruit Mortiz Jenz ahead of the 29-year-old in the Parkhead pecking order, Jullien called time on his career in Glasgow's east end with a return to Ligue 1 with Montpellier. After kickstarting his career in France, Jullien has broken his silence on his Celtic exit.
He reckons he never got a chance to prove himself under Postecoglou, but admits he wasn't needed by the boss. He told the Ligue 1 website: "My first season was amazing! We managed to win the three national trophies.
"But the second was not as prolific since we only won one trophy. So yes, the list has grown. I don't regret at any time having signed there. I had an incredible experience!
"When you don't play for a year, you learn a lot about yourself, your surroundings and your family. After such an injury, you can only become stronger mentally.
"But the thing that struck me the most is that when you're abroad and you're not playing, your name comes out of the radar very quickly. Many people asked me what I was up to and whether I played or not.
"It a very long absence from a match, because I really came back from my injury in November 2021. The problem I encountered on my return was that the team was doing very well and the coach didn't need to integrate me into the eleven.
"Even though I didn't play last season and it was complicated on a human level with coach Ange Postecoglou, I learned a lot. He is a coach who relies a lot on video and who tries to get into the opponent's head.
"Thanks to this, I realised that when you push the opposing team to do exactly what they don't want, you can outwit them to an unimaginable extent. It's like playing chess. If the opposing team can't find a parry, you're in for a treat.
"That's why I think I've become more tactically savvy. But I always try to improve on this aspect."
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