On Thursday night Stuart Armstrong realised why he joined Celtic- and 60,000 fans realised that the midfielder is the real deal.
Having watched from a distance the special European nights at Celtic Park the 22-year found himself centre stage.
The visit of Inter Milan brought an extra edge to the pre-match rituals but 13 minutes into the match a nightmare was unfolding with the Italians two goals up.
Right on cue Armstrong slotted home a cut-back from Adam Matthews then nearly brought the house down when he forced Hugo Campagnaro into an own goal.
After Thursday night Armstrong’s career will never quite be the same again.
“I had never been to Celtic Park on European nights, so I didn’t know what to expect,” he admitted.
“You’ll Never Walk Alone was so noisy and when we came out of the huddle it was something I have never experienced. It’s something I want to taste over and over but I was a bit worried after 13 minutes.
“Conceding two goals early was not the best for us but we got a good grip of the match.
“I didn’t want to be overwhelmed and I don’t think I was. To get on the scoresheet against such an established team is an incredible feeling. I’m claiming the second, even though it might be a bit dubious. I got a wee touch on it.
“I’ve made a good start but there is plenty of games to come and plenty of time to prove myself.”
