Dani Parejo is the Valencia man Celtic have to stop

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Valencia may have their injury concerns heading into their Parkhead trip tomorrow, but they still have Dani Parejo.

That alone should be a big concern for Celtic, and the man they should always have had their eye on from the start.

Parejo is the lynchpin of this Valencia outfit. Having just signed a new four-year contract in the summer, he’s been given the trust of the club. Added to that, he also had reported interest in him from Barcelona in the summer.

So what makes him so influential to this Valencia side then?

Well the midfielder has been at the Mestalla since 2011. His seven-year association with the club has seen him rise through the ranks to become their key creative influence in the midfield.

He’s a box-to-box player. Tomorrow night you can expect him to be the kind of midfielder who’s making game-changing blocks at one end before being in positions to score down the other.

His stamina and energy isn’t his only attribute, however. He has a tremendous range of passing ability and an eye for a killer ball. This season, Parejo has six goals and four assists in all competitions for the La Liga giants.

On course to beat a career high

He’s on course to beat his career-high 11 goal-run in the 2014/15 campaign. That’s despite the fact Valencia have struggled this season and sit eighth in La Liga.

He was a standout in the recent 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp against Barcelona. On countless occasions, Parejo broke up the play at key times, and gave the Catalans’ midfield a real fight.

After coming through the Real Madrid youth academy, Parejo will be the most decorated midfield star Celtic have faced this season.

He recently praised Celtic for not being a “normal” opponent. Parejo stated he was looking forward to playing at Celtic Park, and seems to have proper respect for what Celtic are all about.

But it’s the Hoops who need to make sure they treat the midfielder with a similar level of respect.

Tomorrow night, Valencia will be relying on Parejo to rise to the occasion and do some damage at both ends of the pitch. But Brendan Rodgers will already know that.