Yuki Kobayashi is chomping at the bit for a crack at the Champions League with Celtic - after hearing all about it from Shunsuke Nakamura.
The Japan defender joined the Hoops in January and took his time to get used to life in the Scottish Premiership with just five appearances for Ange Postecoglou last season. But he says he's ready to go under Brendan Rodgers now he's up to speed with the Scottish game.
And the 22-year-old is determined to make a success of his time in Glasgow having heard all about the Champions League nights from Nakamura. He played alongside the Parkhead legend for a season while on loan at Yokohama and Nakamura, then 42 but still going strong, had plenty to say about his experiences of European nights at Celtic Park.
Kobayashi said: "I've been at Celtic for around six months now and I have got used to it. Before I came to Celtic I had heard all the stories about Shunsuke Nakamura and the Champions League and I got the chance to ask him about it when I was on loan at Yokohama and he was still playing.
"So I can't wait to play in the Champions League for Celtic. I've heard the supporters are extremely passionate for these games and I can't wait to experience it. It has taken me some time to adapt here. For example, when I first signed it was winter and even little things like the grass was very different from Japan. The soil was loose and I kept slipping. So it took me time to get up to speed.
"I feel the Celtic players are loved by the fans here. The number of times I get people talking to me while I'm walking down the street is much more than in Japan. So it didn't take me long to understand that football here is very different from Japan."
