His initial loan spell at Celtic could scarcely have gone better.

Arriving in rather unheralded fashion in the dying embers of the January transfer window, Adam Idah went on to defy expectations, bagging nine goals in the second half of the season and topping it all off with a last-gasp winner against Rangers in the Scottish Cup final.

It is little wonder then that Celtic and Brendan Rodgers were convinced he was worth the £9m or thereabouts that they handed to Norwich City to bring him back to Glasgow on a permanent basis in the summer, and little wonder also that Idah felt he was going to pick up exactly where he left off.

It hasn’t quite worked out that way for the big striker though. Despite an impressive goal return of seven in 17 appearances, he has only made the starting XI on five occasions, and he has been frustrated with his performances at times when he has been given time on the pitch.

Now though, he feels he is slowly clicking back into gear, after admitting to himself and then publicly yesterday that he may well have got a bit carried away by his own press over the summer.

“I probably wasn't too happy with how I started the season,” Idah said.

“I don't know the exact reason, but I might have gone a bit too carried away with myself from last season.

“The high I finished on last season, I might have thought I can come back and hopefully it'll be the same, but as we know, football doesn't work like that.

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“Like I said, it's just reflecting back and coming back to phase one and being myself. I know what I'm capable of doing, and it's just getting back on track and doing the things I know I can do.”

When it was put to Idah that he was perhaps being a little harsh on himself given the goals tally he has achieved during his limited time on the field, he relented a little in his self-criticism, but he also stressed that it is exactly the high standards he holds himself to that will ultimately help him make the most of his Celtic career.

“It was only in the last couple of days when I look back and see I think I had a goal every 75 or 76 minutes,” he said.

“It kind of made me realise it's not actually as bad as what I thought, and I think for any striker, if they've got a stat like that, you'd be pretty proud of yourself. So, for me, now it's just driving forward and getting as many goals as I can.

“I wouldn't say I'm quite hard on myself. I think I'm very honest with myself. Yeah, goals are great, but in terms of how I've actually performed, probably not to the best that I wanted to perform, so I wouldn't say that's being too harsh on myself.

“I think I've got people who support me enough to tell me what I need to do, and if I'm doing well, they tell me I'm doing well and whatnot.

“I think for me, it's just being honest. I'm not one of them guys that is going to shy away from the challenge, and if I'm not doing well, I'll try and overcome that, and if I'm doing well, it's just keeping that level head and keep pushing forward.”

(Image: Steve Welsh)

Idah is likely to get more opportunities in the coming weeks as the annual festive fixture frenzy kicks off in earnest, and he is excited – alongside many of his fellow squad members who may be around the fringes of the starting XI – by any chance he does get to prove his worth.

“I think every game is an opportunity,” he said.

“It doesn't matter how many minutes I play. I've said it before, I just want to play games and score goals, so it's a good opportunity for each and every one of us to go out and get some game time and do the best we can.

“It's a busy period, everyone's going to have an opportunity here, and I think no matter what game it is, no matter when it is, I think you can throw anyone in the starting line-up and it's not going to be any different, and that's a good problem to have.

“We've got such a great squad now, and like I said, anyone can play any game. I think a lot of players will probably have an opportunity now to get some game time under their belt, but like I said, at the end of the day, it's about winning games, and everyone's in it together.”