Confident Dorus De Vries ready to challenge Craig Gordon for number 1 spot

New Celtic goalkeeper Dorus de Vries insists he has the belief that will allow him to pinch current Hoops number one Craig Gordon's place.

The Dutchman has been reunited with his former Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers after signing a two-year deal with the Parkhead outfit.

But the 35-year-old, who joins from Nottingham Forest, says he has not made the move to Scotland with the intention of only sitting on the bench.

He now plans to put Scotland international Gordon under pressure after declaring he has the self-confidence required to line-up between the sticks for the Scottish champions.

De Vries said: "I've been told just to show what I have done in the past and compete, because the goalkeepers here are good in their own right.

"I need to earn this jersey. It's as simple as that. I need to train really hard then it is up to the manager's decision."

Asked if he felt he was better than the Hoops' current number one, he replied: "That's a tough question but you know what, you have to have self-belief, because there is a lot of responsibility when you stand between those sticks.

"Craig has it and so do I. It will be an interesting battle and it's something I'm looking forward to.

"I've played against Craig when I was with Dunfermline and he was at Hearts. I've got great respect for him in terms of what happened to him with his injuries. He fought to get fit and has done really well in the past years."

But if he has to bide his time, De Vries is adamant he can cope with the understudy duties.

"I've experienced so many things in my career,'' said De Vries, who has experience of playing in Scotland before after signing up for a year-long stint with Dunfermline back in 2006. "I've had so many good things in my career like winning play-off finals with Swansea to bad moments like getting relegated.

"But that just makes me stronger and means I can cope with every situation."

Among those darker moments was back in 2012 when his then employers Wolves refused to sanction a move to Rodgers' Liverpool.

De Vries refused to sulk, however, and eventually switched to Forest, where he was last term named the club's player of the year.

But when the chance to link up with Rodgers came up again, he had to act.

Thankfully City Ground chiefs accepted his pleas to talk to the Parkhead outfit, allowing him to seal a move which he described as a "dream come true".

"That was a difficult period when the Liverpool move broke down," he explained. "When I received the call from the gaffer telling me he wanted to take me to Anfield, I was open to it.

"It's a lovely club and the chance to work with him again would have been great.

"But at the time Wolves were just stubborn. They were reluctant to sell me for a fair fee.

"Because of the relationship I had with the gaffer they asked a pretty high amount and the deal collapsed.

"That's something you've got to deal with as a player. It happens sometimes. I tried to get them to let me go but it just didn't happen.

"However, I look back on it and realise it got me to Forest, which is another lovely club, and it's now brought me here.

"Because that move to Liverpool never happened I've got my life here. Sometime in life it's funny how things happen. So there's no regrets."

An ankle injury sustained on his final Forest appearance against Burton last week will count De Vries out of Wednesday's Champions League qualifier with Hapel Be'er Shova but he is keen to play his part on the European stage.

He said: "There is a lot to play for. When you are involved in a club like this it's great to be able to compete with the best in Europe.

"But my first goal is just to get fit. Hopefully I will be training on Thursday and take it from there.

"I'll watch Wednesday's game from the stands though and embrace the whole sensation of what it's all about."