IT is hard enough for a player to come into a massive club like Celtic and impress, but when they also have to contend with a global pandemic and the not inconsiderable task of ousting the club captain from his position, then it is little wonder that Ismaila Soro took a little time to find his feet.

The Ivorian has certainly done that though since his introduction to the Celtic side in October, acting not only as a worthy understudy to Scott Brown, but ensuring that the skipper’s absence wasn’t too conspicuous when his form dipped and he was given a spell on the sidelines.

All in all, his move to Scotland has been as much a test of Soro’s character as it has his footballing ability, but the midfielder hopes that he has come through those tests stronger for the experience both on and off the park.

“It’s a very tough job to step into Scott’s shoes,” Soro said. “First of all the captain is a really great player who I respect a lot.

“To be at such a big team for such a long time as captain says a lot about him. And it’s not just about the job he does on the pitch, it’s everything else. He is such an important figure at this club.

“Being the one who has to try and do the same job on the pitch is a big challenge.

“When I signed for the club I made an effort to train as hard as I could. I wanted to make sure I was ready, but it wasn’t for me to decide if I played, that was up to the coach. I needed to be ready for when that time came.

“I stayed in Scotland through the whole Covid lockdown. That was tough of course but I think I have a strong mentality.

“By the time I came here I had already played in three different countries so I have learned to adapt.

“The key thing for me is that when I go onto the pitch I have the same approach. At all times my priority is to work hard. It’s no different whether I am playing in Belarus, Israel or Scotland.

“The hardest situation [so far in my career] was probably here during Covid because nobody could go anywhere. It was really hard to cope with those circumstances.

“Bayo was the one who helped me most during those first months. We are both Ivorian and he was the one who was closest to me when I arrived and helped me settle. So he was important during Covid.

“Obviously Bayo left, but Odsonne (Edouard) and Christopher Jullien have also been very good to me.

“Having these guys around has been a real help to me.”

Soro was disappointed to see the manager who brought him to the club, Neil Lennon, lose his job recently, but he is consoled by the fact that John Kennedy has remained.

“I thank [Neil Lennon] a lot,” he said. “When I arrived at the club he helped me and he taught me – and finally he played me! I’m thankful for all of that.

“[John] is someone who speaks to me a lot. He is someone who has given me a lot of good advice since I came to Celtic.

“That was important. Even when I was not playing the fact he would take time to speak to me was actually very important.”