New Germany cap Mika Baur returned to Celtic's Lennoxtown training ground on a high after receiving praise from Jurgen Klopp, and was relieved to find Martin O'Neill still in charge.
The 22-year-old made his international debut as a second-half substitute in Germany's win over Serbia, then featured briefly against Greece. Klopp described him as a "wonderful footballer" during the camp.
Klopp's impact on the squad
Baur admitted he was awestruck meeting the former Liverpool manager for the first time. He said: "First of all, there were a lot of new players as well in the Germany squad and Klopp is very good at making people feel welcome and comfortable."
"I mean, it was just eight days, but it felt different. We knew exactly what he wants. He showed us in every training session – a lot of intensity, pressing, counter-pressing. He just made us feel very comfortable in the squad."
Baur added: "It was a nice experience. I had a feeling [of being star struck] when he called me the first time as I did not expect it. It felt surreal when I was there on the first day and was shaking everyone’s hands, especially Jurgen’s. But you feel very quickly that he’s just a normal guy and he’s not showing you something else. He just wants you to feel comfortable. The whole week, the whole eight days, I think, were a great experience."
Relief over O'Neill's future
While Baur was with Germany, uncertainty surrounded O'Neill's future at Celtic. Seeing the 74-year-old at the training ground was a welcome sight for the former Paderborn player.
Baur said: "I just read it online like the other players. But absolutely, I was glad the coaching staff is still the same. I’ve only been here for seven weeks now and some things still feel new. If a new coaching staff would come in, it would be new again or even more."
Celtic travel to Fir Park tomorrow aiming to get their season back on track. Baur added: "I’m really positive we can improve and get back on a winning streak. We’re still top of the league so we want to play like that with a lot of confidence and not look to the past and what happened."
