New Celtic signing Yuki Kobayashi has revealed his admiration for Ange Postecoglou's football ethos first began two years ago.
The Japanese defender - who arrived in Scotland yesterday - will sign a five-year deal with Celtic when the January transfer window officially opens.
He's the latest Japanese player to join the club under Postecoglou after Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi.
And Kobayashi admitted he has been a fan of Postecoglou's work since first facing his Yokohama Marinos side in Japan two years ago.
"When I played against the Yokohama Marinos team he led in the J-League I was very surprised as an opponent," the defender told Celtic TV.
"Or rather I had a strong impression of their very tactical football so I had the desire to play football under him since I played against them about two years ago.
"And now I am very much looking forward to seeing that happen."
Kobayashi is thrilled to have penned a deal with Celtic and branded the side a "leading club" in Europe as he hailed the "massive opportunity".
He said: "I don't think any player would refuse an offer from Celtic and I thought it was really one of the leading clubs in Europe so I am very happy to have the chance to play for this team.
"I think it's a massive opportunity for me so I want to help the team and prove myself here."
And it's not just Postecoglou that Kobayashi is familiar with at Celtic, he's also been discussing his move with fellow former Vissel Kobe star Kyogo.
The defender spoke with the fan favourite ahead of sealing his move and is desperate to achieve instant success on the return of domestic action.
"Kyogo's success was very inspiring for me when I was in Japan," he said. "And I am sure Kyogo and the other Japanese players have shown me what they are capable of which has helped me in coming to this team.
"I really want to play as good as him (Kyogo) and help this team.
"I've also been in touch with Kyogo and we've had a lot of really positive things to talk about both about life and football so I was really looking forward to coming."
