Mika Baur credits Celtic teammates for helping him settle in
Mika Baur credits his teammates for helping him settle in at Celtic after his recent move from Bundesliga side Paderborn…
Moving, not only to a new club, but new country, and an altogether different style of football is hard on any professional footballer, especially a 22 year old such as Mika Baur.
The German under 21 midfielder joined Celtic from Paderborn few weeks ago in a deal said to be worth upwards of £7 million, and he’s certainly impressed already, playing his part in the recent 3-0 win over LASK in the Champions League Playoff first leg clash at Celtic Park last Wednesday night.
Baur is expected to be handed a start in tonight’s decisive second leg against the Austrians in Linz, and he was selected by the club to do the pre-match media conference late yesterday afternoon at the Raiffeisen Arena ahead of tonight’s game.
The new Celtic star paid tribute to his new teammates for helping him to settle in to life at Celtic, with two significant players in particular earning his praise.
The German midfielder said influential serial winning skipper Callum McGregor has been key to his transition as a Celtic player, with his new skipper keeping his advice simple, but one that is helping the youngster feel comfortable in his new surroundings.
“Callum really helped me,” Baur said at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz yesterday afternoon. “It’s not like I can tell you exactly what he said to me.
“It’s more like some tips during the match, before, after, and during the break – just small details, but they helped me a lot to feel comfortable.”
Baur also hailed on-form midfielder Benjamin Nygren for his support. The Sweden international was the club’s top scorer last season, and has taken that form into the current campaign, scoring four and assisting four in as many games thus far.
“He’s an incredible player,” Baur said of Nygren. “He’s so good on the ball. Also, his work rate is quite high. He also speaks a lot with me.
Mika Baur will be hoping he can emulate the Swede’s form in his own first full campaign at Celtic.
Baur also praised Celtic manager Martin O’Neill: “He’s makes us feel comfortable, his way to manage the team is different to how I know it in Germany, but he’s really, really impressive,” the 22-year-old midfielder said.
There’s a lot going on at the moment, but I really enjoy it, to meet new people and play with them, it’s a different style but I really enjoy it and to walk around the city, look for apartments, it’s a nice time at the moment,” the German added.
Making his Celtic Park debut in such an important occasion and also getting his first chance to play Champions League football, means that last Wednesday night is something that Mika will never forget.
“It was incredible,” he said when asked about his first taste of Paradise. “The atmosphere and energy in the stadium – I knew it before from sitting in front of the TV and now to feel it in real life is incredible, such a nice feeling.
“Playing in the Champions League is a dream for every young kid growing up watching football.”
Mika also reckons that LASK will want to make an impact on this tie after perhaps feeling that Celtic’s 3-0 victory last midweek was a scoreline that didn’t reflect what was a closely fought contest.
“They made a good match in Glasgow, so we know what we have to do,” Baur said. “We need the same mentality and energy to hopefully win again.”
Watch Mika Baur’s pre-match media conference below, ahead of the LASK v Celtic second leg match in the Champions League Playoff. The winners of the tie will be included in the draw tomorrow afternoon in Monaco and will be in line for a £40m windfall…
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
