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 **** le 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 **** nal 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.