Giorgos Giakoumakis opens up on Celtic early struggles as striker names 'main strength' that can help fire Hoops to title

Nobody has ever handed Giorgos Giakoumakis anything on a plate. Not until he ended up at Celtic anyway.

The likes of Jota, Liel Abada and Tom Rogic are now providing the Greek attacker with the kind of service that any striker worth his salt would relish and on Sunday Giakoumakis showed that if he’s fed, he’ll gorge himself on goals.

He had 16 touches of the ball in 90 minutes against Dundee. Practically starvation rations, yet three of them sent the ball into the net to stretch Celtic ’s lead at the top of the league to three points.

And while Giakoumakis might have been getting ahead of himself – and certainly deviating from the Parkhead party line – by insisting in the aftermath that his team is going to win the league, his excitement and honesty is perhaps derived from some of the experiences he’s suffered in his career before and after arriving in Glasgow.

The 27-year-old spent last season with VVV Venlo in Holland. He played in a match where Ajax cuffed them 13-0 as his team hurtled towards relegation.

Yet, even in going down, Giakoumakis ended up the top scorer in the country with 27 goals, including twice netting four in a game and adding in another hat-trick.

Those were the stats that brought him to the attention of manager Ange Postecoglou but almost as important as his goals is his attitude.

The last Greek player to shine at Celtic was Giorgios Samaras, all hair and flair Giakoumakis doesn’t have much of either but he’s physical, occupies defenders, links the play and brings the flying machines around him into the game.

And when the ball is in the box, he has proved throughout his career to be deadly.

He was thrilled with his contribution on Sunday but knows there has to be more to come.

And he’s using