THE news that Mohamed Elyounoussi had signed for Celtic on another season-long loan from Southampton was a great boost for supporters ahead of the new campaign getting underway. And the Norwegian internationalist, who netted seven goals last season as the Hoops made it nine-in-a-row, scored in France on Saturday night in the 2-1 defeat to Lyon in the Veolia Trophy.

The 25-year-old was pleased with the goal, but believes that the real gains for the squad from these games will come once the Scottish Premiership gets underway.

Celtic drew 1-1 with Nice on Thursday night before playing Lyon, and next up for Neil Lennon’s side is a clash with the French champions, Paris Saint-Germain, on Tuesday night. It’s a game that all the players are looking forward to, knowing that it will be a tough fixture against one of Europe’s top sides.

“Lyon was obviously a tough opponent and a good test for us,” Elyounoussi told Celtic TV after the game. “It’s been a good week of training and these two games have been good for us as well. There are a lot of positive things to take out of here, and now we go again on Tuesday.

“We wanted to press high, get on the ball and be brave on the ball, so I think we did that. We played well between the lines and the goal showed it. It was brilliant from Jamesy, so it was a good test for us and it’s going to be even tougher against PSG.

“We have to be on our toes, and it’s going to make us prepare for the season to start, which is only a couple of weeks now, so we’re going to enjoy it. These 30 minutes went too quick, and I’m looking forward to hopefully getting more minutes against PSG, so we can get ready for the season.

“They have a cup final just a few days after us and they have the Champions League games, so they should be at the top of their form, so it’s going to be a good test for us. We have to be sharp and we’re looking forward to it.”

Elyounoussi: We're looking forward to Paris Saint-Germain test