Celtic's Maik Nawrocki says he KNEW his chance would come

The Polish defender who signed from Legia Warsaw on a five-year deal worth £4.3 million was just three games into his Celtic career when disaster struck. The 22-year-old was nearing the end of the League Cup tie on the notorious synthetic surface at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock back in August when his hamstring went. It was a double-whammy for Brendan Rodgers and Celtic as the holders were bundled out of the League Cup at the first hurdle and Nawrocki then spent four months on the sidelines.

He missed the whole of Celtic's Champions League campaign after the Northern Irishman failed to enter him in the squad list for Europe. Now, he's determined to help Celtic clinch their third successive Scottish Premiership title and lead the club back to European football's top table, to sample the delights of the Champions League for himself.

READ MORE: Maik Nawrocki's Celtic career analysed six months in

Nawrocki reckons he is now the perfect fit for Celtic and said: “I think it’s normal to think about that (regretting signing for Celtic) when you are injured. In the end, every time I spoke with someone about it, I never doubted my decision to come here. I feel I fit in here perfectly.

“I knew myself that it would only be a matter of time before I was back playing. I was always confident that in the end, it would go well for me. There were other decisions I could have made. I am very happy to be here, with all the people, and the situation was just something no one could have predicted. Sometimes that happens in football. I never doubted or regretted my decision to come here. It was a normal hamstring injury. I shot the ball and then felt it right away.

“I just didn’t know how long it would be before I would be able to play again, how big or small the injury was. Unfortunately, it was a bigger one. The surface was not the best. We played 98 minutes or something and it happened in the final seconds but these are the things that can happen. Not playing in the Champions League was hard to take. I was injured and could understand the decision on why I wasn’t named in the squad.

"I hope now we qualify next season and I will get that chance. I went to all the games and was in the stand, it was quite amazing but it was hard not to play."

It was Rodgers who reassured him that his time at Celtic would come despite the consistency levels being shown by fellow centre-backs Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales.

Nawrocki said: "I spoke with the manager. I’m not stupid, I understand the situation, and I couldn’t play in the Champions League.

"Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales did well so I could appreciate the situation. The only thing I could do - and the manager said this also - was work hard in training and be prepared for the moment when I would go back into the team.”

READ MORE: Ex-Celtic star Boruc backs Nawrocki to be a 'successful' signing

Nawrocki is well aware that he has been written off already in some quarters but having featured in Celtic's last three matches - league victories against Rangers, St Mirren and Buckie Thistle in the Scottish Cup - he is viewing it as a fresh start in Glasgow's east end. He revealed that he turned to family members and his girlfriend to help him cope during his rehabilitation.

He said: "It feels very good because it was a very long time that I didn’t play. I have played a few games in a row now. It was very difficult when I came and got the injury which kept me out for a very long time. To get back was very hard but sometimes football is not easy.

"I just worked hard the whole time and prepared myself for the moment when I came in. In the end, it happened. I think yes it is a fresh start because in the beginning I played like three games and then I had three months out. So maybe now, yes, this feels like the start of the journey. It has made me stronger as a person of course. If you train for a long time you can work on different things.

READ MORE: Why Celtic selling Matt O'Riley this month is UNTHINKABLE

"Mentally it wasn’t easy, but you have to make the best out of it and I think I did that. It’s not easy as a new player when you come here and don’t play. I was happy with the three games I played before the injury because they were good. When the injury came I spoke to my family and friends and tried not to think too much about it. I just focussed on the fact that I would get a chance in the future. In the end, everything happened as I thought it would. My sister was here for quite a time and my girlfriend was here for a few weeks.

"Sometimes I was alone and I knew how that felt because in Warsaw I was also alone at my previous club Legia. So I am used to that, but yeah. If you are alone it gives you more time to focus on the football and that’s not a bad thing sometimes. When there was COVID, I couldn’t play in the league and I couldn’t play but I think this was the first time when I felt fit and couldn’t play. It’s a different experience I had to endure and I made it and now I hope it will get better.

"I think as a football player you have to block things out and avoid reading everything. It’s normal that people judge you and speak about it but I am a football player and I know how to deal with it. It didn’t bother me in any way. Generally, I feel like every fan wants the players to be at their best and they hope we do well for the club. So I am happy about that."

Nawrocki insists that the Celtic fans can look forward to seeing the best of him and the team as Rodgers' men go for Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup glory in the second half of the season.

He said: “I hope I now get more game time. We’re in January and the team is in a good way with the league and cup too. I think the fans can expect the team to do a lot."

Maik Nawrocki was supporting the Topps Match Attax Launch of the 2024 SPFL collection at Hampden Park. The 354-card collection is available now in stores across Scotland and at www.Topps.com.