Erik Sviatchenko in Rangers fan troll as Celtic hero declares 'big difference' remains amid Philippe Clement hype

Former Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko has declared that there remains a "big difference" between the Hoops and Rangers - as he lifted the lid on a spat with his Houston Dynamo coach.

Sviatchenko spent two seasons at Celtic working under both Ronny Deila and Brendan Rodgers as the towering stopper became a firm fan favourite before he moved back to hometown club FC Midtjylland. Last summer he left the Danish side to try his luck in Major League Soccer where the 32-year-old has become a regular for Dynamo - but hasn't forgotten his links to the Scottish Premiership champions.

He has revealed he still keeps a close eye on the Hoops while enjoying life Stateside - and has enjoyed a friendly back and forth with his Rangers-supporting fitness coach this term - with hype building after an upturn in results under Philippe Clement. Asked by PLZ if he still watches the games of his former side, Sviatchenko said: "Yeah, I try. It is always a little bit difficult with the time difference but I always check up on the score.

"I saw the highlights from the last game, especially because my friend and former teammate plays for Aberdeen (Stefan Gartenmann). He said he had a tough day at Paradise. My psychical coach over here is a Rangers fan so it's always fun to talk about Scottish football a little bit with him. He said 'there's only one club in Glasgow and it was blue' and 'I said of course it was green and white' so it just goes back and forth. He comes back with 'have you heard there is a new player signing, oh and they won this weekend'. I say yeah but there is a big difference in my opinion."