David Turnbull determined to keep his standards high

The Celtic midfielder says he needs to be on the top of his game to stay in the team

Published 12th Feb 2021

David Turnbull is currrently the star turn at Celtic but he knows he has to keep his standards high amid keen competition.

The 21-year-old midfielder joined the Hoops from Motherwell on a four-year deal for a reported fee of around £3million in August.

And in what so far has been a troubled season for Neil Lennon's side, Turnbull has emerged as a shining light in recent months.

His late goal in the 4-0 win over St Mirren in Paisley on Wednesday night was his seventh of the season and it helped Celtic to their third successive win for the first time this year.

Turnbull, however, noted that fellow attacking midfielders Ryan Christie and Mohamed Elyounoussi started on the bench.

He said: "It's obviously great to play every game. I just need to keep up the good work to keep my place.

"It means you need to be training well every day as well as playing as well as you can.

"There are great players competing for the same few positions. There are boys back from injury so it's up for grabs and it is about taking your chance.

"That's three games we've won in a row and we're looking better in each game. Hopefully we can kick on and continue the run.''

Turnbull and Lennon were among many impressed by the performance of midfielder Tom Rogic who scored the opening goal in the first half with a terrific curling shot from just inside the Buddies' box.

The Hoops midfielder admitted he has been a long-time admirer of the Australia international.

He said: "When I was up against Tom with Motherwell I always felt it was impossible to get the ball off him.

"He's just so strong, he can hold the ball up and hold you off as well. There's so many good touches - it's just hard to get the ball off him.

"He's the same in training. He's right up there with the best I've played with or against. You see his technical ability when he plays.

"We've been playing together recently and hopefully he can continue to show it.

"He looked very sharp the other night, especially in the second half when we all kind of clicked together. We all showed our ability but Tom especially.