C'Est La Vie

Moussa Dembele has maintained a positive attitude despite injury setbacks, although the French striker is delighted to back among the goals for the Hoops.

- Mark Henderson

NOTHING ever seems to faze Moussa Dembele. Whatever obstacles are put in his path, his confidence and conviction in his own ability carries him forward in his career. For others, suffering two hamstring injuries in quick succession would have been mentally tough to take. Not Dembele.

When the striker found himself facing another extended period on the sidelines in July after only recently returning to fitness, he remained philosophical about his predicament and focused on coming back even stronger from his rehab. For a 21-year-old, his mental strength is remarkable, but as the striker explained to the View, it’s in the genes.

“I have been raised like that,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View.

“My father was always confident and he has just given his confidence to me and that’s why I am so calm. Apart from my first five years, football has always been there throughout my life. It’s the best thing I can do so when I am on the pitch, it doesn’t matter who I play, it’s just football.

“Being injured twice didn’t really affect me. Injuries are part of the game and you have to accept them, so when you are injured you just have to give 100 per cent in your rehab to come back quicker and stronger, and that’s what I did. I didn’t get frustrated.”

In the Frenchman’s absence, he had to watch as Celtic marched into the UEFA Champions League for the second year running and maintained their domestic dominance. Despite his goalscoring exploits last season for Brendan Rodgers’ side, re-establishing his place in the team would not be a straightforward task, with so many players in the attacking department hitting top form.