AFTER bringing up Christopher Jullien’s nervy performance at Livingston a couple of weeks back, it’s only right that I now give him his dues for a wonderful performance against Lazio.

It was the best he has been since he arrived at the club in my book, and he is starting to show why Celtic paid £7m for him in the summer. And that is over and above his last-gasp goal that won the match.

He was good defensively, some of his long-range passing was absolutely on the money, and his goal at the end to top it all off put me in mind of some of Billy McNeill’s headers. I can pay him no greater compliment than that.

He has maybe taken a bit of time to settle down and get to know the environment, but I am prepared to put the Livingston game - where he was poor - down to a bad day at the office. It wasn’t only Jullien who had an off-day that afternoon, and he has maybe taken more stick than others because he admitted to being nervous on the day.

It seems that the big games really bring out the best in him. The second Cluj game at Celtic Park for example, Thursday night against Lazio and the Rangers game at Ibrox were, for me, his best performances.

If he can put it all together consistently, he can be a huge asset to Celtic this season and he will justify his hefty transfer fee and then some.

He has everything in his locker to be a really top defender. He has the height and the physical stature of course, but the more he gets used to his surroundings, the more we are seeing that he has real footballing ability too.

I am looking forward to seeing him flourish.