It may have only been a preseason friendly, and the 37-year-old may have only played 45 minutes, but Kasper Schmeichel's first half performance for Celtic against Manchester City was exactly what the veteran goalkeeper needed.

Doubted by some given his age when signed by Brendan Rodgers, the Danish internationalist ensured the Hoops went into the break 3-1 to the good during the second exhibition encounter of the Celtic USA Tour 2024.

The club's only other signing of the summer transfer window so far – 22-year-old Viljami Sinisalo – replaced Schmeichel at half-time and helped his side get their 4-3 win over the line.

But it was the almost-38-year-old who was the standout of the two with a string of important stops that appeared to roll back the years.

With 23 minutes on the clock, Schmeichel rushed off his line to narrow the angle of the oncoming Erling Haaland, spreading himself well and blocking the forward's effort.

City's commentator Alistair Mann - who's decades' worth of experience spans the BBC, BT and, of course, club media at City - described the stop as "one of those trademark saves that the Schmeichel family have been so good at over the years" at the time. This sentiment that was also echoed by Rodgers in his post-match interview with Celtic TV.

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Just over the half-hour mark, Schmeichel again denied the Norwegian striker whose combination play with Jack Grealish had opened up the Celtic defence. After rushing the forward to the left of goal, Schmeichel got a vital touch with an outstretched left hand as Haaland tried to chip the ball over the oncoming goalkeeper.

When City did eventually pull one back, Schmeichel almost got the better of Oscar Bobb's effort, but after throwing himself at the ball, it spun past the keeper and out of Liam Scales' reach on its way into the net.

Here's Manchester City's full game highlights to this end:

Again, Celtic's 4-3 victory over Manchester City was only a preseason friendly, and the team Guardiola fielded was hardly the Premier League champions at their strongest. The same can be said of Celtic to be fair, especially in the second half, but Schmeichel's contributions, hopefully, offer a glimpse at what is yet to come.

The new migraine-inducing Celtic goalkeeper top for the season ahead is a different story entirely. But if the man wearing it performs consistently between now and the end of May next year, I doubt many people will care too much about that.