Kasper Schmeichel's new Celtic song tells you what the fans are thinking as 40ft banner showed him shoes he had to fill

The sight of a 40ft banner of the player on his last day in the office was a clear sign there was going to be a huge hole to deal with in the Celtic squad last summer.

But Paulo Bernardo reckons the giant personality of Kasper Schmeichel has more than managed to fill it. It’s not often one fan favourite departs and is immediately replaced by another. But the great Dane has picked up the gloves left behind by Joe Hart and carved out instant-hero status among the Hoops support.

The former Man City and Leicester shotstopper was already well on his way after a string of top performances and an incredible shutout record in the opening half of the season that includes 12 clean sheets in his opening 15 Premiership games. Chuck in the displays in the Champions League and Parkhead punters had already adapted an old Wham festive favourite to serenade the big keeper.

Last Christmas they gave it to Hart but this year the affections belong to Schmeichel and while the former No.1 got an incredible send off in May, fans are now hoping the new man sticks around and Brendan Rodgers doesn’t hang around in hitting the button on that one-year contract extension option.

The Yuletide ditty rang out again around Hampden after the 38-year-old grabbed his place in the Hoops history books with a sensational shootout stop to deny Ridvan Yilmaz on the back of an incredible save in the game to keep out Mo Diomande. Bernardo expected nothing less and he knows Celtic have got the perfect man to ease the Hoops Hart-ache.

The Portuguese playmaker said: “Kasper is one of the leaders of our team. He has so much experience. You look at everything he has achieved in his career and we can learn so much from him, he is a leader and is someone that we can