Ange Postecoglou has received plenty plaudits from pundits, fans and the wider-football community for his work in the transfer market to date at Celtic.
The 57-year-old arrived last summer and instantly showed his eye for a player as he tapped into the Far East market and beyond to bring in top talents to Parkhead. The likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda, Joe Hart, Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Josip Juranovic to name a few have all proved fruitful additions and delivered instant success.
Two other players who have stood out since their arrivals nearly a year ago are Matt O'Riley and Reo Hatate. Plucked from MK Dons in England's lower leagues and from Japanese outfit Kawasaki Frontale, both have really impressed and made themselves mainstays in team. Lambert was aware of O'Riley from his time managing in England. He hailed his eye for a pass and great ability to play off two-touch while Hatate is another he is a huge of and believes mastering one key area will take his game to the next level at Celtic.
READ MORE: Celtic hero Paul Lambert refuses to rule out manager return in Scotland and willing to go abroad
Speaking exclusively to Glasgow Live Sport , he said: "Matt O'Riley I knew about from before being down here. I knew he was a really good footballer.
"He plays really well off the two-touch, he has a great eye for a pass and he is just a young kid as well and learning. He is getting better every time you see him. He's very good at playing off the back foot.
"Hatate has great energy. Once you get to European level it becomes a different ball game. Once he starts to master that he doesn't need to run about as much, he will be a really good player.
"His energy is fantastic for the club. The two lads are playing really well and for me Callum [McGregor] is a mainstay at the minute. He keeps everything ticking over and the way he plays the game is excellent."
"I think every one of the players that the manager has brought in has contributed brilliantly. I think the lads that have been there before like Callum and [David] Turnbull. They needed a wee boost and I think the manager gave them a wee boost when he came in and brought players that he thought could help the club. Structure wise the club is really strong and they backed him in the market.
"People like Callum who know the club and what it is and the standards. You've got to have high standards at Celtic as that what it demands. That is what the Lisbon Lions gave it all those years ago. If you drop below they standards it is no good for anybody.
"Everyone who has come in has really grasped it, they seem really good characters and well educated lads that can go and have success but they've still got that core that know everything Celtic is about. [Anthony] Ralston is another - I know he has been in and out - but he has been great for the club. But you need that small band that know what the club is about and the new guys have all fitted in really well."
Celtic returned to Europe's top table this season in a tough section alongside Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig. The Hoops finished bottom of the group with just two points from their six outings.
The Scottish champions did earn plaudits for the way they played in the competition without getting the results and former skipper Lambert - a previous winner of the Champions League and knows what it takes to lift the trophy - believes if they win the Premiership ahead of Rangers once again this campaign and return to the competition they will be much better set to compete.
He continued: "The Champions League is a different ball game. I was fortunate enough to win it so I know the standard. Celtic just needed that little bit of luck. They were always in the games they played. They did great. Look at Real Madrid, if Callum's shot goes in, I am not saying they would win it, but it would have been an interesting night at Parkhead.
"Madrid in Madrid is a tough game for any team. I don't care who you are. I was at the Shakhtar Donetsk game and that was close fought. RB Leipzig could have gone either way. Celtic were very good in the Champions League and just needed the results to go their way which never happened. You could see the disappointment in the mangers face that they never picked up the points.
"If they win the league and do go back into it they will know exactly what to expect and the teams and players they will come up against. What Celtic did do brilliantly was compete and that is why they came out with lots of plaudits. One or two little defining moments in the games that never went there way, if they had it might have been a different outcome."
Celtic are on course for back-to-back titles under Postecoglou with the league leaders nine points clear at the summit. They've won 20 games from 22 with just one loss and one draw in the league to date.
Lambert - who lifted the league crown on numerous occasions - has warned that despite the healthy point gap at present, the title race with Rangers is NOT done.
He added: "It is never over until you win it. But what I do see with Celtic is a very strong team.
"The manager has done brilliantly since he arrived at the club. They are in a really good place structure wise, everything is going really well and all they need to do is keep ticking the games off and hopefully they can get over the line. They are playing very well at the minute."
READ NEXT:
- Celtic hero Tom Rogic grabs FA Cup goal after punishing BACK-HEEL with delightful West Brom finish
- Gordon Strachan in Celtic Rangers VAR title decider verdict as he makes 'new toy' claim
