Christopher Jullien

Brilliant to see him.

 

Great to see him back playing.

 

Good times, give him game time and get him back to his best.

 

Great to have him back in action and terrific reception he got from the crowd when he came on as well.

Starfelt probably will still be first choice for Ange next to CCV, but the Swede now now has serious competition for his place, with the big Frenchman back. Obviously big difference coming on when 3-0 up and the action mostly at the other end by the time CJ got on, compared to what has been a pretty decent combination with Starfelt and CCV, but as CJ gets more gametime and more time to show Ange what he offers the team, both defensively but especially at set pieces (at both ends)...

 

Happy to see the big man.

 

Brilliant moment when he came on and great to see him back. I think though we will not see him working his way back into the team this season. Barring injury CCV and Starfelt will be the starting partnership and they should be. It will take time for Jullien to get his match sharpness back so hopefully between now and the end of the season there are some more opportunities when he can get minutes. But really I think we are looking at a full pre-season next summer and next season before we really see Jullien back fully.

 

What's with this "Let's Go" pish....

 

time to get him on your first goal scorer bet slip people! He used to be such a threat from corners.

 

Depending on if CCV is going to be here longer than the season you may find its him and jullien that rotate, talks would have already took place to see were CCV and the club see his future. Starfelts obviously here long term so we may see jullien and starfelt starting next season if things dont go to plan.

 

December 30, 2020. As many people were getting ready to kick off the New Year, Christopher Jullien was about to enter 2021 in a manner he did not expect.

Racing back to save a certain goal from crossing the line in a 3-0 win over Dundee United, Celtic's French defender was successful in getting the ball off the line but smashed into the post with his sliding clearance.

What followed was a horrendous 409-day wait to return to the football field after sustaining an injury that his surgeon described as something 'he had never seen before with a footballer.'

Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV about his return to the field in last weekend’s 4-0 Scottish Cup win over Raith Rovers, the Frenchman said it was an emotional experience to walk out on the pitch and receive a standing ovation from the fans.




The 28-year-old said: “I didn’t expect that ovation at all. When you work for 409 days you just go day-by-day and don’t think about the end goal.

“To get my feet on the pitch made me emotional and I thank everyone for the warm welcome back.

'That moment was amazing, my family was there and I was not expecting to come on.'

“I’ve just been working every day in training and seeing how it goes, but this welcome is something I will never forget it.

“That injury was something else. The trauma my knee had was really difficult and I then had a nine or 10-month wait before I could even touch a ball again – that’s indescribable. I’m at the end of the tunnel now and I hope I will feel good for the rest of my life.”

A lot has changed between Jullien’s injury and his return to the field in a Celtic jersey.



Coming back into the team, the 28-year-old is surrounded by a new group of team-mates and a new manager.

Working under Ange Postecoglou was a big motivation for him to return more quickly from the injury table and he now wants to contribute to the team and continue to make more history with the Hoops.

“We had to bounce back as a team and right now we are showing that and we are aiming to win everything,” he said. “We have one trophy and we want to win it all now.

“It was a big motivation for me that there was a new manager and players and there was a new adventure for the team.

'They are all really good players and for me, I need to enter that competition and try and help the team the most I can when called upon.'

“I’m in admiration of the way the new manager is working and what he demands is amazing.

“First and foremost, I want to be healthy but after that, I want to help the team the most I can whenever called upon.”

 

Maybe give Jullien a start on Thursday.

 

I want to see him get game time based on the fact we are * dire at dealing with crosses and set pieces.

Need the height at the back and he will bring that.

 

I think we should start easing him back into the side now.

We are absolutely woeful at both ends of the pitch when it comes to crossing, and Jullien was perfect for dealing with that. Adds so much more threat from corners and helps us at the back.

Ideally, he'd be starting on thursday, with the idea of bringing him on against Hibs if we're comfortable, then starting him against Ross County.

I do like Starfelt, and I think he gets a raw time of it on here, but Jullien, when fully fit, is better.