Kyogo Furuhashi insists he "needs to score more" goals for Celtic but admits his strike in the Champions League against Lazio has eased some of the pressure.

The Japan international is averaging almost a goal a game at the moment but is always striving to improve.

He netted in Europe's premier competition for the first time in the recent 2-1 defeat to the Italian side and the 28-year-old was relieved with the finish.

He told Gekisaka: "There are games where I've scored, but I need to score more and improve my technique to help the team.

"I'm a little relieved (scoring in the Champions League). We all want to do our best as a team so that we can go to a higher stage.

"I'd like to think I've made it. But instead of getting carried away, I've been working hard and steadily so that I can score when it's time to score."

READ MORE: Luis Palma - Why Celtic have perfect Jota replacement on the wing

Meanwhile, ex-Celtic defender Moritz Jenz has backed his old club to retain the Scottish  Premiership, pinpointing the return of Cameron Carter-Vickers as a turning point.

The American international returned to action against Lazio and also played 60 minutes against Kilmarnock.

And Jenz, who spent the first half of last season on loan at the Hoops, feels the centre-back will make a real difference.

Speaking to the Scottish Sun, he said: "It was a bit of a difficult start to the season, with the new manager and then two new centre-halves joining.

"The new guys are young and aren't very experienced at that level. They were coming to a big club and had to perform every week.

"It's not easy. You could sense there was a bit of a nervousness about the team. But with Cameron back, there will be stability again, and they will stroll through the league like always.

"CCV has so much ability and the other defenders will have confidence because of his experience.

"He will guide the younger lads and Liam Scales. We mostly played all the games together when I was there and it was a nice partnership.

"We trusted each other, we had respect and I really like CCV as a person. I enjoyed it, and a lot of players will enjoy playing with him."