JOURNEYMAN
Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel opens up on how meeting Hoops fans on holiday attracted him to Parkhead
He also revealed his conversations with Joe Hart
KASPER SCHMEICHEL has told how he quickly felt the scale of Celtic - when he bumped into fans on his holiday.
The Danish skipper linked up with his new Hoops teammates just hours before their 4-0 friendly win over DC United.
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A Matt O’Riley double plus strikes from Mikey Johnston and James Forrest saw off the MLS side in front of a crowd of over 18,000 fans - most of them wearing green and white.
Schmeichel - who had a spell on loan at Falkirk in 2007 - won the FA Cup under Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers at Leicester.
He said: “I feel great. It was a long journey but it feels good to be here and I’m really happy.
“The boys did well, they could have had even more goals. It was a really good performance. Pre-season games can be difficult but everyone handled it superbly.
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“I played in Scotland many years ago and know the size of Celtic. I came off my holiday and there were Celtic fans at the hotel I stayed at.
“Even when I flew here there were Celtic fans on the way to watch this game. It’s incredible to see but it shows the size of the club.”
Schmeichel is replacing the retired Joe Hart, who he played with at Manchester City.
He said: “I’ve spoken to Joe many times during the time he was here and leading up to his retirement. Now he’s retired and become a pundit.
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“He only had good things to say. I started to follow Celtic closer when he joined and saw the admiration the fans had for him.
“He got an incredible send off and it was fully deserved. They’re big shoes to fill.”
Celtic legend Neil Lennon left with bruised nose and nasty cuts to his legs after shock accident in Romania
Schmeichel - who also won the Premier League with the Foxes - admits lifting more silverware attracted him to the Hoops.
He added: “I can’t wait. It’s been a whirlwind and now I just want to get back to playing football now.
“Trophies, trophies, it’s what football is about. It’s about winning and coming to a club that has a such a rich history of winning, a culture of draws aren’t enough.
“That’s the one thing I really love about this club, that the mentality is you have to go out and win every competition.”
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