Ange Postecoglou is a gift to Celtic but the next trick is likely to be the most demanding yet - Keith Jackson

There's still an element of head scratching to be done where Ange Postecoglou and Celtic are concerned. As a matter of fact, it’s difficult to fathom just how on earth one man can have taken this club so far in such a short space of time having willingly run into harm’s way just 12 months ago, while Eddie Howe was leaving a trail of dust in the opposite direction.

Somehow, having arrived at the scene of a car crash last summer, Postecoglou is currently overseeing a wax and polish job on a squad he rebuilt almost in the blink of an eye, while preparing to take it on a lap of honour in the Champions League. None of this ought to have been remotely close to being possible.

But if we have learned anything about this big Aussie over his first year in Scottish football it’s surely that he revels in catching people completely by surprise. That’s going to be a hard job this time around, though, now that he has unmasked himself as a manager of serious credentials.

As a by-product of whipping Celtic into shape with his sleight of hand, Postecoglou has also sent the levels of expectancy shooting through the roof over what sort of sorcery might still be to come. In other words, he’s given himself a hard act to follow.

And yet the serenity of this summer’s transfer activity suggests that Postecoglou has got Celtic’s ducks in a row already ahead of what would ordinarily prove to be a difficult second season. Far from the frantic scattergun recruitment drive of this time last year, the champions have been able to build from a position of strength.

They have tied down Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota and Daizen Maeda on permanent deals after bringing them in on loan last season. Benji Siegrist has been added to the group to provide Joe