Barcelona's Alex Valle names one thing that has surprised him at Celtic

Alex Valle signed for Celtic towards the end of the summer transfer window. It’s a one-year loan deal and the Spaniard is already, after a slow start, settling into the side. It’s been quite a learning experience so far for the 20-year-old, who is competing with Greg Taylor for the left-back spot in Brendan Rodgers' team.

With Taylor in fine form initially, Valle has had to be patient in getting some game time. His first appearance was in the League Cup against Falkirk. The side struggled somewhat overall and he only played the first half.

That was followed by two more half-matches for Valle. A comfortable win over St Johnston and that heavy defeat in Dortmund.

With Taylor out injured, Valle also started against Ross County last weekend and impressed there. The international break provided a friendly against Sligo Rovers in midweek for his next outing. Another half of football under his belt in the Hoops.

Barcelona's Alex Valle names one thing that has surprised him at Celtic

That friendly may not have seen him surrounded by familiar faces on the pitch. It will though have continued his introduction to how Rodgers wants his team to play. Taylor will still likely be missing for the visit of Aberdeen next weekend. That will give the Spaniard another great opportunity to show what he can do at left-back.

Vale has recently talked about the move from Barcelona and life in Scotland. And he has revealed his surprise at just how big Celtic is as a club. As reported by the Daily Record, he said:

"If I had to pick one thing that has surprised me I would choose that the club is maybe even bigger than I thought.

"I thought it wasn’t quite so big and I didn’t expect such an atmosphere like the one at Paradise. The level of the game here in training and in each game as well is awesome. So I’m really happy. I like living in Scotland. The weather is getting worse every day.

“I have to wait until November, December. They told me that! It’s a good city, it’s a really good city and I’m enjoying it."

The player seems settled so far in these early days and enjoying the challenges and successes on the pitch. It was a tough start against Falkirk and we should discount the Borussia Dortmund game where again the team as a whole underperformed. There have been very positive signs from Valle since, both when defending and going forward.