It has been a summer of change for Celtic and the arrival of Brendan Rodgers has provided the players with a clean slate, which David Turnbull appears to have taken advantage of.

How good was David Turnbull against Ross County?

The Scotland international enjoyed a phenomenal first match of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign as the talented maestro struck twice from midfield in a 4-2 win over Ross County.

Ange Postecoglou only started him in six league outings last season and Rodgers has instantly placed his faith in the former Motherwell starlet, which was rewarded with an impressive display on Saturday.

Turnbull received a Sofascore rating of 8.0 for his performance, which was the third-highest score of the match for the Hoops – only behind Kyogo Furuhashi and Matt O’Riley (9.0).

The task for the attacking midfielder, now, is to remain consistent to ensure that he is a regular fixture in the XI and the club could help him by bringing in reported transfer target Haris Belkebla.

How good is Haris Belkebla?

Rodgers can form a "terrific" – as the Scottish wizard was described by former Hoops star Peter Grant – duo in midfield by signing the former Stade Brestois brute to partner Turnbull.

Belkebla has proved himself to be a reliable performer in a major European league as he played 127 Ligue 1 matches for his previous club, with the French top-flight currently holding the sixth-best UEFA club coefficient – three places ahead of Scotland.

This suggests that the 29-year-old free-agent could be taking a step down to play in the Premiership if Celtic are able to snap him up, which is why he could be an outstanding performer in holding midfield when you consider his impressive displays in France last term.

The Algeria international showcased his defensive instincts in the middle of the park with 3.5 tackles and interceptions combined per match across 38 outings. He was also efficient with his work as the now-free agent won 55% of his ground duels, which shows that the combative talent

Meanwhile, no Celtic central midfielder made more than 2.2 tackles and interceptions per Premiership game for Postecoglou last term.

Belkebla could add an injection of bite into Rodgers' options in midfield and that could allow Turnbull to thrive as the Scotland international has struggled out of possession.

Against Ross County, the ex-Motherwell man lost two of his three ground duels and failed to make a single tackle, interception, block, or clearance.

Last season, the 24-year-old magician averaged 0.7 tackles and interceptions per league game for the Hoops. He does not offer much in the way of defensive protection to the back four and that is why Belkebla could be the perfect player to sit in midfield behind him this term.

The 5 foot 10 tank has proven himself to be an exceptional ball-winner who can consistently break up opposition attacks, which would allow Rodgers to continually include Turnbull in his line-ups without any concerns about his lack of quality off the ball.

This would then allow the talented maestro, who has racked up 26 goals and 23 assists for the Bhoys to date, to concentrate on his attacking play to make things happen in the final third.