It's an age-old question, isn't it? How would Celtic cope if they were ever allowed to compete south of the border?

It reared its head again this week after last weekend's Glasgow Derby was networked by Sky Sports and the 3-3 draw between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox certainly showcased the best that Scottish football had to offer.

Celtic striker Adam Idah swapped the English Championship for Scotland in January. He hasn't regretted it. He readily admits that Celtic could hold their own in the English Premier League. Idah said: "I think there’s just that concept in England where they think the Scottish League isn’t good enough. To be totally honest, I probably got roped into that too.

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"Since coming here, it’s totally different. It’s fast football, there are top players here and big teams. It’s the same as being back down in England. It is a big league and I was quite surprised myself when I did come up, but I try and tell everyone that tells me it isn’t a good league that it is. There’s a really good standard of football up here, and top players are playing here.

"If I’m being honest, if Celtic were in the Premier League then they’d probably have a chance of staying in it. I think training and playing with these lads week-in week-out, you can tell the standards they have around the training ground is top. I’ve probably not been in a place before where I’ve seen so much professionalism in terms of the lads doing recovery, and their rehab before training.

"It’s at the top of the list, so they do a great job, better than the Premier League or Championship if I’m being honest."

Idah is thriving at Celtic under Brendan Rodgers. No wonder. Goals breed confidence. The Republic of Ireland international hitman has netted six of them and contributed two assists over nine games and 437 minutes of football. The 23-year-old ought to have written himself into Glasgow Derby folklore during his first taste of a Rangers v Celtic match. He battered home a beauty at Ibrox last weekend to make it 3-2 to Celtic with 87 minutes on the clock before Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo stole his thunder and grabbed the limelight with a stunning equaliser in stoppage time.

Having swapped Norfork for Glasgow's east end the Celtic fans are warming to him with every passing game. Idah is playing with a swagger and a confidence and he's slowly but surely swashbuckling his way into the hearts and minds of the Celtic support. The feeling is very mutual too as the badge on the jersey has already gotten under Idah's skin.

He was blown away by the thousands of supporters who turned up at Celtic Park last Saturday night just to wave the team off as they headed to their hotel retreat ahead of the crunch Ibrox clash. Idah said: "It helps any player when they score a goal, especially with confidence and getting out there and wanting to score more goals.

"I'm really enjoying playing up here and it is probably the most confident I have ever been. People can tell that when I'm on the pitch and that's the best I have played as you can tell by the goals. In terms of performance, it really does help me. Little things like the fans being with you are huge and that is good for me and it helped me a lot. It motivates me more to try and do better. The send-off we got for the Rangers game from the fans was amazing. Every single person on that bus was amazed. I had the fright of my life when I was driving in! It’s hard to put into words to be at a football club and to have that support and fanbase where they genuinely love you.

"As players, that makes you want to do so much for the club to win games and win trophies. It's huge. They’re huge for us, and playing in front of them is amazing, so all the lads love them."

Idah confessed that bagging a goal and silencing the whole of Ibrox was as surreal an experience as it gets in his football career to date. We'll have to wait until the end of the season to see if his goal in Govan turns out to be his most important strike and helps Celtic retain the title for a third successive year. His focus lies solely on St Mirren at Celtic Park. He said: "It was an amazing feeling. To get a goal in that derby is crazy.

"When you are a player who wants to play for Celtic that is the only game you want to score in. It is massive. Ever since I have come in here, and previously with the lads before, they take each game as it comes. It was a bit like COVID times. It was a bit strange. It is the first time that has happened for me and it was a bit of an experience. I am looking forward to the next game now. We don't speak about the outcome at the end of the season. We've got a game tomorrow.

"That's the next target and we will try and win the game and take it as it comes."

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So, what are the chances of Idah signing a permanent deal for Celtic at the end of the current campaign? For the time being, he is just enjoying his football and is content to live in the moment. Idah said: "Who knows what will happen at the end of the season, we will see."

It's very much a case of 'Qué será, será. Whatever will be, will be.'

Idah may well up sticks from England and plant permanent roots in Scotland come the summer. The $64,000 football question remains: 'Will Celtic ever be allowed to follow suit and quit Scotland for England'?