Osmand's 'surreal' debut season of highs & lows

Celtic striker Callum Osmand feels he has had a decade's worth of learning experiences in a debut season marked by major highs and lows.

The English forward, 20, netted for the club for the first time in November's League Cup semi-final win over Rangers but an injury picked up in his next appearance kept him out until Saturday's dramatic title-clinching victory over Hearts.

Osmand's added-time goal completed Celtic's 3-1 win as they climbed above the long-time leaders on the final day of the season to become champions.

"It's surreal," he said. "It's still not sunk in yet for me, but it's an amazing feeling to be champions. It's pretty much my first year in senior football, so I'm really happy.

"It took me quite a while to actually earn the chance to be able to play. And I feel like it got taken away from me within a week. So I had the best feeling of my life to the worst feeling of my life.

"And then it's been like a grind. The last six months has been, it's been really tough.

"And then it gets me to this point where I'm feeling better than I ever have."

Osmand, who now aims to help Celtic win the Scottish Cup against Dunfermline, added: "I've learned so much about myself and about professional football and about the whole culture and how demanding it is.

"I'm sort of grateful in a way that I've had the season I've had. Obviously I would have changed the injury, but you can't. And I had to learn, take the positives from that, and I feel like it's helped me. It's helped me having these ups and downs as well.

"Obviously I would have liked to be more involved this year but that's out of my hands. But that is the goal for me next year. I'd want to be more involved, get my name out there a bit more and try and make more of an impact.

"It feels like I've had about 10 years in a year of football, but I feel like it does really mature you."

Daizen Maeda scored Celtic's second against Hearts and Osmand is in awe of the Japan forward's work ethic.

"He's just a robot," said Osmand. "I don't know how he does it. I need to get his diet plan or something.

"He's fantastic. I don't think there's a player like him in world football that does what he does. He just offers something completely different.

"His determination is what I really look up to."