Why this Celtic player is a 'peacock' in the dressing room

Did you feel that you and the team did well at a difficult venue?

Yeah, it's a tough place to go. It's been a difficult place for us, especially over the past year or so. So I think especially that first half we showed that not only can we play [handle] it, but when we play our kind of system and our kind of tempo, it's really difficult for any team to handle us. Even with that flurry at the beginning of the second half, if one of those finds a way into the back of the net, I think that turns into an even more comfortable performance. But at the same time, they're a good team. They've got a lot of strong players, and interesting profiles that can come on and change a game. Overall it wasn't our best second half, but I don't think they had a shot on target. I don't think we can be really too frustrated with that at all.

Does Celtic need to be more clinical?

For sure. And again, that comes with time and chemistry. And again, I was just quite happy with the chance creation. I think that this early in the season, seeing that, you saw it last week, you saw it in preseason, and again in this game, just guys being in the right spots, getting into there, I think that's a good sign for things to come. It's a long year, and I think that they [goals] will start to come. It's not really a big worry for us.

Is Nicolas Kuhn really stepping up the plate as a Celtic player now?

I think he's definitely more comfortable now in his role. He's understanding, and he's finding that confidence. We're putting him in a better position to be the player that he is and to understand that we signed him for what he brings to the game. He's not afraid to show that. You can see his directness and his confidence on the ball. He's not just ‘touch and lending’ it. He's now actually driving it, going at people. And I tell you what, he's a nightmare to defend because he can go inside, he can burn you on the outside and put it onto his right foot. So he poses some serious threats. I think he's really now picking up on the winger cues in terms of getting in at the back post, reading those kinds of moments. He’s really kicked on and I think that will be a big level that he’s going to show this entire year.

Is he a popular character in the dressing room?

For sure. And again, this is a really good changing room for that. Matt's a perfect example of that. One of those guys that is super open and very welcoming, and I think we have a lot of guys like that. And Nick, he's actually a reasonably quiet person, but he likes to have a good laugh and he's a good lad. He likes to be a part of it. He's got a great little relationship with a couple of guys, Yang as well. It’s funny trying to see them two communicate in their broken English. But it's stuff like that that you do like to see and it does make a difference on the pitch. And you can see it when one guy scores, they're doing a celebration for the other guy, things like that. You can tell there's that camaraderie and playing for each other, and that's what you need at a big club like this because there are going to be difficult moments and you need to have that trust and that belief that you can rely on whoever's out there. Nick's done a very good job in that way of integrating himself into the team.

Celtic are scoring goals, keeping clean sheets and the confidence is high. Do you feel that you are in a really good place?

It's still early, but at the same time, it's exactly what you want to start off the season with. We still feel like there are definite levels - on Sunday we could have pushed on and scored more goals and everything, but at the same time you're going to look at it that we came away to Easter Road, [secured a] 2-0 win, and didn't concede a shot on target. That's a pretty solid three points and a pretty solid performance. So yeah, I think the team is in a very confident place coming off that pre-season. Everyone got a lot of good minutes in their legs and I think we can really tell that we're kicking on under the manager. It's his second season here and we are in a positive place. We're excited about what these next couple of months can bring in terms of the league and the Champions League football. It's a great opportunity for us and we need to be firing on all cylinders. It’s a good start for us

Did you get any downtime in the summer considering you played in the Copa America for Canada?

It was short and sweet, the downtime. It was good in a way that I didn't lose a ton of fitness, so my first week back wasn't running like all the other guys. It was kind of right back into full training. Yeah, it hasn't been easy in terms of just the mental and physical lack of a break, really getting away. But again, this management team, they've seen this before. It's not their first time having players go away for international duty and coming back, so they've done a good job so far already of managing me and making sure that not only am I physically ready, but mentally as well. I think that they're going to pace me and manage pretty well throughout especially these first couple of months. It’s not like we don't have another right back. We've got Tony Ralston, who is more than capable of being one of the best fullbacks in this league. So we're in a really good position in that way.

Do you still believe there are new signings to come in?

It's a tough one because I believe in everyone in that locker room right now. I think that we have a really strong squad, but at the same time, you know what the gaffer wants to bring in. I think he's been pretty vocal about that, and anyone who can come in and help push this team is going to be welcomed as well with open arms. There are plenty of players we saw last year who came in and helped push us on. At the same time, I don't think any of us are too stressed about that. We've got a pretty strong squad right now, and I think the results show that. It's a very similar 11 to what we were rolling out last year that went and did a double. If we can just build on our performances, which I think we can, with an extra year under our belt, I think we'll be in a really good place no matter who comes in.

You spoke about the dressing room being full of characters and Brendan Rodgers also said that Celtic is a big club but with a small family inside it. Is it a case of players having to integrate because there can't be any shrinking violets?

Kasper's a great example of that. Joe (Hart) was an unbelievably big personality, both on and off the pitch. I was kind of curious to see how they would fill that role, just not only the actual goalkeeper position, but just the void it would be, just the personality, and the presence that he had in the changing room. So to bring in someone like Kasper, he's been a perfect fit in that sense. It really goes to show what this club's all about. It's not a club where you can just be a small personality and expect to just go out and play 90 and then go back into the shadows. You're in it when you're up here. You're in a fishbowl in Glasgow. So you've got to be ready for that. Every single guy that we've brought in, and even if they are quiet personalities like Nick, for example, I think he's learned over these past six months that he's got to be a peacock a little bit - go out there, be confident. When you do that, you're going to play some good football and you're going to be loved here. Kasper's been great for that and has really opened the eyes of a lot of the young guys too. Cal's (Callum McGregor) has done a great job with that too.