Former Celtic defender Christopher Jullien has insisted he has no regrets about signing for the Bhoys and has praised manager Ange Postecoglou.
When the Frenchman left the Bhoys, he thanked his former coaches Neil Lennon and John Kennedy on Instagram, but there was no mention of the Australian.
After failing to earn many minutes under Postecoglou following a return from injury, it became clear that the defender and the manager weren’t entirely on the same wavelength. Perhaps surprising then to hear the defender laud his former manager’s methods as helping to develop the tactical side of his game.
Speaking to the Ligue 1 website, the Montpellier star said: “I don’t regret at any time having signed there. I had an incredible experience! When you don’t play for a year, you learn a lot about yourself, your surroundings and your family. After such an injury, you can only become stronger mentally.
“But the thing that struck me the most is that when you’re abroad and you’re not playing, your name comes out of the radar very quickly. Many people asked me what I was up to and whether I played or not. It a very long absence from a match, because I really came back from my injury in November 2021. The problem I encountered on my return was that the team was doing very well and the coach didn’t need to integrate me into the eleven.
“Even though I didn’t play last season and it was complicated on a human level with coach Ange Postecoglou, I learned a lot. He is a coach who relies a lot on video and who tries to get into the opponent’s head. Thanks to this, I realised that when you push the opposing team to do exactly what they don’t want, you can outwit them to an unimaginable extent. It’s like playing chess. If the opposing team can’t find a parry, you’re in for a treat. That’s why I think I’ve become more tactically savvy. But I always try to improve on this aspect.”
Jullien is now getting the regular football he was looking for after making the switch from Celtic. He’s started four times for Montpellier, helping them into the top half of the table.
Although it didn’t quite end up working out for him following his return from that horror knee issue, he remained popular with many supporters and no one will begrudge him success after Celtic.
It sounds like he’ll always hold a place in his heart for the Bhoys and no doubt he’ll look to maintain a relationship with fans in the years to come, as many before him have.
In other news, Reo Hatate apologises to Celtic teammate.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
