Ruairi Daly 
Steve Welsh/Getty Images Sport
Stuart Armstrong has reflected back on his first year at Celtic, which has been filled with both highs and lows in his short time at Paradise.
On deadline day, February 2nd 2015, Celtic signed Armstrong from Dundee United along with Gary Mackay-Steven for a combined fee of around £2 million.
In the year following, the 23-year-old midfielder has gone on to play in the Europa League against Inter Milan and scored at Paradise against the Italian side.
Armstrong won his first two trophies as a Celtic player and will look at add to that tally this year, with a treble still on the cards.
He even got his first call-up to the Scotland national team back in August but he had to pull out of the squad with a groin injury.
The early exit from the Champions League after losing to Malmo in the playoff was a low for Armstrong who has also had to deal with numerous injuries this season and poor form until recent games.
Speaking to the official Celtic website about his upcoming one-year anniversary at Celtic, he said:
There have been ups and downs, but it’s been a great learning experience and all you can do is build on that and don’t take it for granted.
It was a big shock at first coming here, with the size of the club and everything that goes with it, but I feel I’ve learned different things along the way about the pressure to win and the challenges facing us, such as the constant competition for places and that desire to win in Europe.
At first, Armstrong struggled to cope with the regular games, as it was something he has never experienced at Dundee United but admitted it does have its benefits.
When I came in February I missed that as most of the games had been played. But at the start of the season, when you have the European qualifiers and the league games, and then the Thursday-Sunday games, it’s a lot to take in. Physically preparing myself right was very challenging.
The good side of that is playing these teams in Europe such as Fenerbahce and Ajax, playing experienced players at that level and comparing yourself to them – if you can experience more and more of that, then that’s what football is all about.
In his 27 appearances this season, Armstrong has scored three goals and added five assists and will hope to build upon his recent surge of form in the team to help Celtic win a first domestic treble since 2001.
Eric Knott 
