Liam Scales has forged a formidable partnership with Cameron Carter-Vickers in the heart of the Celtic defence this season, and the Irishman has nothing but praise for his teammate.

Injury has at times hindered the American's progress under Brendan Rodgers this season in the Scottish Premiership, but Scales and Carter-Vickers have nevertheless featured together on the pitch 26 times across all competitions.

Off the pitch, Scales credits his colleague for helping his professional and personal growth over the last several months, describing Carter-Vickers' understanding of the game as incredible.

"He's brilliant, and we have a lot of discussions about football," said Scales of his teammate. "He is one who loves analysing the game. You wouldn't think it, you'd think he just goes through games and that's him, but he analyses everything.

"His football intelligence is through the roof, so I'm learning a lot from him every week. Just minor things, adjusting little positions, ways to deal with different attackers, and he's been brilliant.

"He's a top player. You think he just gets on, gives a solid performance and that's it for him, but he thinks a lot deeper about the game than a lot of people might think. He's a proper analyst himself."

READ MORE: Liam Scales says he'd love to finish his career at Celtic

With the central defender's thorough understanding of the game in mind, Scales sees teammate Carter-Vickers as a future coach whenever he does decide to hang up his boots down the line. 

Scales added: "I think so! I don't think he thinks so himself but I could definitely see him going into a role like that [in future]. He's got plenty of years left now, though, and I want to continue playing with him because he's brilliant."

Reflecting on the season so far as a whole, Scales acknowledged a mid-season spell where he and his peers struggled to create chances at Celtic Park, however he believes that's no longer the case at present.

A confident 3-0 win over Hearts at home last Saturday gives credence to Scales' suggestion, with the defender firm in his belief keeping clean sheets can be just as important as scoring goals.

As Celtic now stare down an important derby against Rangers this weekend at Celtic Park, Scales cannot praise the Paradise faithful enough for their support – and he loves doing everything he can to get them on their feet on matchday.

"The fans have been brilliant, home and away," he said. "Some away games are like home games for us as well. I definitely feel like that's switched a bit, and they're completely behind us, they've bought into it, and it's just about us being exciting to watch and showing them what we're about.

"The energy can dictate how players are going to play and you try not to read into it too much, but it is there. If you feel like it's a bit nervy, you might try to force things and they're maybe not going to come off. But if you know the fans are all behind you, then you can just do the right thing and they'll be happy. That's the way it's been [recently] and it's been brilliant.

"[Personally] I've made a few tackles this year that have got people on their feet. You come away from those thinking: Yeah, that was good. These things give you a bit of belief and a bit of a boost."