MORTIZ Bauer impressed in his first start for Celtic in the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock at Paradise last Sunday. The Austrian internationalist continued to impress after leaving the field too. He spoke to Celtic TV immediately following the game and helped translate for Man of the Match, Odsonne Edouard.

Speaking exclusively to the Celtic View, Bauer explained: “I speak four or five fluent languages - German, Swiss German, English, French and I picked up some Russian when I lived in Russia. I can understand Italian and Spanish because they are close to French, and I speak quite fluent French.

“I had a coach one year who only spoke Spanish, so I had to pick that up. It converts from French quite a lot, so I am able to understand it.

“You always find it’s useful. The French guys here have a funny sense of humour and I’ve been able to enjoy that because I understand them. Sometimes people prefer to explain something in their native language and you can gain a better understanding of them if you can speak it.”

And Bauer, who missed out on the midweek League Cup win over Partick Thistle, is hoping to play his part this Saturday as the Hoops take on Hibernian at Easter Road.

The competition for places in Neil Lennon's squad, however, means there’s no guarantee of a starting place, and the players must prove themselves every day. Bauer believes that atmosphere has helped push not only him, but the entire squad on to achieve their true potential.

This week's Celtic View includes a FREE A2 Celtic 2019/20 squad poster.

“All the players want to play, and with so many games it’s normal that we will have to rotate the team a little bit,” he said. “It’s very hard to play three games in a week and I think it’s a big compliment for the squad to be able to rotate players without a drop in the quality.

“For the big games there’s competition for a place, but the better the competition the higher the level is in training. Everyone is working to the limit and when you have that competition, that’s when you push the boundary even further.

“Everyone benefits from the competition, and I myself prefer that situation because you can learn from everyone on the pitch and push each other further. The result of that is the good results we’re getting because everyone is performing on their top level."

Celtic's polyglot player can do his talking on and off the park