Daniel Arzani has described his return to Celtic Park as "nostalgic."
The former Celtic loanee reflected on the injury setback that derailed his time in Glasgow.
The Australian winger is back in the city with Ferencvaros ahead of Thursday night's Europa League clash, eight years after suffering a devastating cruciate ligament injury on his Celtic debut against Dundee.
Arzani arrived on loan from Manchester City in the summer of 2018 amid huge excitement, but went on to make just two appearances in two years after his serious knee injury.
"It was a difficult period for me being here," Arzani admitted. "But I'm happy to be back and walking out into the stadium there felt surreal.
"I just saw the kit man down the stairs as well; he's a legend, it's nice to be back."
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Despite his frustrating spell in Scotland, Arzani still follows Celtic closely and maintains strong ties with the club. "I've watched a lot of Celtic games since I've left," he said.
"I still have a few friends that play here, and I had a lot of friends who played here for a long time as well, like the Australian fella Tom Rogic."
While some former players return with a point to prove, Arzani insists his emotions are centred more on appreciation than regret. "No, not particularly to be honest," he said. "I was 19 years old, I had a cruciate ligament injury on my debut.
"For me, it's just a little bit nostalgic. I'm honestly just excited to get out there and play."
Now enjoying a positive start to the campaign with Ferencvaros, the 27-year-old believes the adversity he faced at Celtic helped make him stronger. "It was a period where I could work on my mental resilience," Arzani explained.
"It was obviously a really tough period for me; I was young, it was my first stint out of Australia, and I had a big injury.
"For me, it was where I learned about what kind of coping mechanisms I use to get through tough times. It was an important period in my career."
