Callum McGregor watched Kasper Schmeichel lose it when he conceded a goal as well as berate man-of-the-moment Matt O'Riley on Celtic's pre-season tour of the USA and he knew right there and then the shot-stopper was the perfect fit for the club.

It is well-documented that Schmeichel comes from good footballing stock. The bedrock of any successful football team is a good goalkeeper. Just ask Joe Hart. Hart went on to win seven trophies in three years with Celtic before deciding to hang his gloves up in the summer. Former Leicester City favourite Schmeichel was brought in on a one-year deal to replace Joe Hart with a year option.

The Celtic skipper wouldn't dream of comparing Schmeichel and Hart's prowess in between the sticks but he does know that in terms of continuity and fluidity, the Scottish champions are still very much in safe hands. McGregor insists that the recruitment of the Danish No.1 is as good as Brendan Rodgers could have hoped for this summer in a priority position.

It didn't take long for McGregor to become a fully paid-up member of the Schmeichel fan club and he is convinced that Celtic have not only signed a high-end quality replacement for Hart on the park but a player who sports a similar big voice and larger than life personality off it.

McGregor said: "We’ve had a couple of chats already. We spent a good bit of time over in America together and straight away after just five minutes I knew he was on the level. He has had a hugely successful career but he still wants to achieve.

“He’s an experienced goalkeeper but after just a few minutes I could tell what he was about. He’s a proper character. You can tell that just by having a conversation with him but it’s also when you get on the pitch you see what people are like.

“When we played against Man City in the States there was a moment when he berated Matt O’Riley. When you talk about demanding the most out of the players, that was an example of the type of thing I’m talking about. It’s about standards and behaviours. If you concede a shot you care about it. You take it personally and that’s what builds a winning culture.

"He’s probably made four or five top saves already. So we know we have a top goalkeeper with the personality to go with it. If there is one thing you need at Celtic is the personality to go and play. It can be a tough place to play football and you need that personality behind you and he has got that in spades.

“I don’t want to compare him to Joe Hart as the two of them are totally different. They are both great goalkeepers in their own right so I don’t think it’s right to compare them. Joe was a top goalkeeper who was brilliant for us. Kasper is a top goalkeeper and hopefully, he can be brilliant for us as well. In terms of a seamless transition, it’s probably as close as you’re going to get in terms of quality, experience and personality.

"They’re two different people but hopefully, they’re equally successful.”

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(Image: GT)

McGregor is well aware that the 37-year-old is a born winner having won the English Premier League title, FA Cup and Community Shield with Leicester City.

Like Hart, Schmeichel seems to have embraced the culture in the Celtic dressing room already. McGregor admitted that he is thankful to have another experienced leader alongside him to drive up the standards, as well as set an example to the rest of the first team whilst getting the manager's message across.

Schmeichel enjoyed a flying start to his domestic life at Celtic as he kept a clean sheet last Sunday as the Scottish champions kicked off the defence of their league crown with a 4-0 rout of Kilmarnock in their opening fixture. Whilst sterner tests lie in wait for the Dane further down the line it was Schmeichel's first real taste of what Rodgers deemed 'The Celtic Experience' playing in front of 60,000 spectators.

McGregor believes Schmeichel will thrive and flourish and relish playing for such a big club. Although Schmeichel will find he has some strict competition when it comes to commanding the Celtic dressing room.

The Scotland midfielder said: "It’s brilliant to have Kasper at the club. I think I’ve said this for years and years - it can’t just be one player driving the whole thing. It’s possible, there is too much going on with too many players to deal with.

“You need five or six leaders to take the share of that responsibility. You’ll find that the best teams have a certain amount of guys who are really good leaders. We have that.

“There’s Cameron Carter-Vickers, Greg Taylor, Alistair Johnston and now Kasper. All of these guys are sharing the responsibility of driving the standards every single day. It makes my job easier, for sure.

“When you have characters who think the same as you, guys who want to push and win things, with enough of them in the building then you have a good chance of being successful."

When it comes to conceding goals and having a pop at teammates - O'Riley included - it looks to be a definite case of Kasper 'The Not So Friendly Goalkeeper'.

McGregor and Rodgers wouldn't want it any other way as it's the kind of attitude that breeds success.

From Hart to Schmeichel. Based on the early sample evidence as McGregor stated it has all the hallmarks of a seamless transition.