Mikey Devlin believes talk of Celtic’s demise is premature ahead of Aberdeen’s visit to the home of the champions tomorrow.
Celtic have won three of their first six games and sit a point above the Dons in sixth place, with manager Brendan Rodgers indicating this week that Hoops fans should be alarmed by their start to the season.
The Dons won on their last trip to Parkhead in May, with Andy Considine’s goal earning them their first three points at the stadium in more than a decade.
It could be argued that there has never been a better team for Aberdeen to be facing Rodgers’ side, however Devlin will not be writing off the seven-in-a-row league winners.
Devlin said: “Celtic have been strong for the last couple of years and they’ll be strong again this season. Hearts have started well and we have played well too but everyone has dropped points in the league now and it’s wide open.
“We just need to make sure our own house is in order and we are winning games and progressing in all competitions. Celtic have had a couple of results they weren’t expecting but the reality is that they still have top players and they still have a very strong squad.
“They also have a great manager so they will get the odd bad result but every club does and they always bounce back from that.”
This season’s surprise packages have been Hearts and Livingston, with the Jambos leading the table by five points and newly-promoted Livi losing just one of their first six games and sitting joint-second on 11 points.
Devlin added: “It certainly looks that way as a lot of teams have improved on what they did last year. That’s great as it makes it a real competition across the board whether that’s in the league or the cups. Rangers look stronger and Celtic have been given an incentive after dropping points against Kilmarnock.
“That just shows you every team is capable of dropping points so that will be great for the league and great for us to part of that. I think it’s a reflection of the fact the Scottish game is improving as the league is stronger and the quality of player is better.
“It makes what you are trying to do harder but also all the sweeter when you do achieve what you set out to do. The club managed to sustain finishing second last season and we were delighted with that but we want to kick on this time.”