Ex-midfielder Stiliyan Petrov has admitted he proved instrumental in convincing Scott Sinclair to join Celtic last summer.
Sinclair arrived at the Scottish club in a £3.5million deal from Aston Villa, and has since become a key figure under Brendan Rodgers.
The 28-year-old contributed 25 goals and 11 assists from 50 appearances in all competitions as Celtic won the domestic treble in his debut season at Parkhead.
However, the winger might not have moved to Celtic had it not been for the advice of ex-Villa and Celtic midfielder Petrov, who admits Sinclair had “a lot of questions” in his head about where to move last summer.
He told the Daily Record: “He had not played that regularly for Villa when Celtic came in but he wasn’t given a proper chance. There were a lot of questions in his head as other clubs were in for him.
“He asked me a lot of questions about the football and the stadiums he would be playing in. I said he wouldn’t be impressed by the venues but he would be impressed by everything about Celtic – the fans and the club.
“Now he thinks it’s the best place he has played. He has been blown away by it all. He’s won everything and the fans love him.”
Sinclair’s move to Celtic comes after his continued struggles to make an impact in the Premier League, both with Manchester City and Aston Villa.
He moved to Man City from Swansea in 2012 on a four-year deal, but failed to register a goal or an assist from 19 appearances, and was offloaded by the club just one year later.
His first exit route was a season-long loan move to West Brom, but he struggled for regular first-team opportunities, and sealed another temporary move, this time to Aston Villa, in January 2015.
Sinclair arrived at Villa Park on an initial six-month loan deal, but after making a lasting impression, made his move permanent at the end of the season.
He managed nine goals from 45 appearances for Aston Villa, a place where midfielder Petrov earned cult status.