YOUSSOUF MULUMBU insists he has no regrets over his move to Celtic as he targets a return to Parkhead at the end of the campaign.

The midfielder penned a two-year deal with Brendan Rodgers’ side in the summer but made just three appearances in green and white in the first half of the season.

Mulumbu is now back in familiar surroundings at Kilmarnock and made his first start of his second spell at Rugby Park against Rangers on Saturday.

He said: “I was at Kilmarnock last season and the group hasn’t really changed. I came here and it didn’t take me long to adapt.

“The gaffer has known me since West Brom, so I just needed a couple of games to get my fitness back and I’m winning the ball.

“Seeing the crowd get behind me is very helpful, so, hopefully, we can achieve something great.

“It was hard at Celtic. You are going into a team which is winning every game and you see players like Ryan Christie, who deserved to play, to get his chance. I was frustrated, but I was also happy for Ryan.

“You could say he took my spot, but he really deserved it and I just tried to stay fit.

“I spoke with the manager at Celtic and he said that, if I could get some games by being on loan, he’d let me go.

“We are on good terms and I came to Kilmarnock with confidence and a little bit of disappointment, so I need to show I’m a good player and that’s what I intend to do.”

Mulumbu made his Celtic bow in the Premiership defeat to Steve Clarke’s side in September and featured against Salzburg and Leipzig in the Europa League.

But the 32-year-old struggled to make an impact for the Hoops as he found his chances to impress limited during a frustrating few months.

Mulumbu said: “Do I regret the move? No, no, no. It’s a great club and my team-mates were amazing with me.

“When I had the chance to play, I was injured and, like I said, Ryan took the spot and we were in the same situation.

“He got the chance and he took it by playing well and scoring in every game. It happens in football. Sometimes you need the luck to be there at the right time and I know things can change quickly.

“I’m here for six months to help Kilmarnock and if I do every right and if we achieve something very good, I know I’ll be back at Celtic in the summer and everything can change from there.

“In my head, it’s not over at Celtic. If you speak with Brendan and the lads, they know I want to go back and do great things for them.

“You only understand how great the club is when you sign for them, but my focus right now is entirely on Kilmarnock.

“If we finish first or second, it can change for me. I’m not going to hold back. If we come first, it would be great for us and unlucky for Celtic.”

The return of Mulumbu was a welcome boost for Killie as boss Clarke looks to keep up their stunning run in the Premiership and Scottish Cup in the coming months.

The Ayrshire outfit are five points adrift of second-placed Rangers in the league and now have another crack at the Light Blues when they head to Ibrox for their fifth round replay next week.

Mulumbu said: “What can we achieve? Everything. We started badly against Dundee, but we can achieve everything and the worst thing for us that we could do would be to be over confident and think we’ve made it already.

“That’s why the gaffer stays on our back and says we are not Celtic and we are not Rangers, so we stay focused and be strong as a team.”