When Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived in Glasgow in February of this year, he brought along heaps of experience of operating at the top level, and his reputation as a winner preceded him.

Just 12 minutes in to his debut substitute appearance in the Hoops, the Celtic faithful were treated to an emphatic example of the quality that the man, affectionately nicknamed The Ox, has at his disposal.

With the scoreline between Celtic and Livingston locked at 1-1 in stoppage time, the Englishman sent a curling effort in to the bottom corner of the net from outside the box to grab the win for Martin O’Neill’s men and spark sensational celebrations in the stands at Celtic Park.

It is hard to know exactly how vital any given goal or victory is going to be over the course of a season, but given the drama that accompanied Celtic’s Scottish Premiership triumph last season, and the fact that a fifth consecutive title was secured by a margin of just two points, it’s safe to say that Oxlade-Chamberlain’s winner on that cold February night at Paradise was a vital step towards the silverware.

It was announced on Saturday (July 4) that the former Arsenal and Liverpool man had signed a new one-year-deal with the Champions of Scotland, and, yesterday (Wednesday, July 8), he joined up with the Celts at their pre-season base in Portugal.

After catching up with his team-mates, Oxlade-Chamberlain sat down with CelticPlayer, and expressed his delight at putting pen to paper on a new deal with Celtic.

“I was delighted we could get it done.” He said. “I kept myself fit, kept plugging away and hoped that I could get myself back up north for some lovely weather with you lot!

“I’m excited to come in at the start of this season and to feel like I've got a proper pre-season with the boys. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to getting going.

“I really like the changing room, the lads, the manager, the coaching staff. I really enjoyed the challenge the whole time.

‘It was a no-brainer for me, just with the fans and how special it was to see that and feel that and be a part of that.’

“The fact that I got to experience last season, I think that helps me massively going into this year because I know a lot of what the manager, Shaun and the coaching staff want from us.

“I definitely hope that, for myself, and for us as a group, we have a really good season and we’re able to have many more special nights and moments.

“I'll just be looking to work hard and be ready whenever the team needs me to add what I can and contribute in a good way.”

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's full interview is available exclusively on CelticPlayer.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain targeting more special moments in the Hoops