Many thought David Turnbull would be on his way out of Celtic this summer.
With a year left on his contract, the 24-year-old's future at Parkhead was certainly in doubt.
The attacking midfielder found game time hard to come by under Ange Postecoglou last season.
He was limited to substitute appearances from the bench, with the odd start thrown in here and there.
But the arrival of Brendan Rodgers as manager has allowed Turnbull to remind everyone of his talents and what he offers to the Scottish champions.
He was a bright light in their pre-season win over Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday night, even getting on the scoresheet.
Rodgers is a fan of the former Motherwell starlet and is a big admirer of the tools in his locker.
He said: “Excellent, he was very good. He’s been good in pre-season. I really like him as a footballer – he’s got tools, he’s comfortable on the ball, and can score goals. His efficiency is very good.
"He just needs to keep working and to keep on the move. It’s always important with those players that they don’t turn the engine off.”
And much like Turnbull, Rodgers insists all of the so-called fringe players at Celtic will be handed a 'clean slate'.
He added: “A lot of these guys I don’t know, so for me there is a clean slate for them all. It’s assessing over the course of pre-season, what they’ve done in the past doesn’t really matter.
"That includes the guys who have worked with me before. In order to have that hunger, that’s how it has to be.”
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