C ELTIC's latest signing isn't one for hanging about.

Rabiu Ibrahim has played in two continents and signed for three major clubs in three different countries. He left Africa for Europe aged 16 with only a relative called Gaddafi to look after him. Nine months into a three-year contract with PSV Eindhoven he decided he wasn't going to get enough football there, and left. He has packed in a fair amount of interesting history for a lad of 20.

The fact that PSV thought him good enough to deserve a lengthy contract would be highly encouraging for Celtic were it not for the fact he left within months, raising questions about his patience if not his ability. Ibrahim spoke warmly about Celtic yesterday when he held his first press conference since signing for the club this month, but it was impossible not to wonder if he will be as restless at Parkhead as he quickly became in Holland. It didn't take him long there to realise that the club captain, striker Ola Toivonen, amounted to an immovable obstacle from the position he wanted in the team. Toivonen was already established with PSV before Ibrahim joined them, but within months he had accepted the Swede could not be budged.

At Celtic, several players stand in his way of occupying the No.10 position, as playmaker, that he regards as his natural role. Scott Brown, James Forrest, Ki Sung-Yueng, Biram Kayal, Victor Wanyama and Kris Commons all contest the places in which Ibrahim must find his space. "I am confident I will get into the team quickly," he said. "There is a talented group of players here: very, very good midfielders. That will make me step up my game and improve because that is the challenge. I have to improve every part of my game."

So far Celtic and PSV Eindhoven have been different experiences and clubs with a different feel, he said. "It was unfortunate that at PSV my direct competition was the captain, Toivonen. He's a good player and an experienced international. I do believe that with good guidance I will get the chance to prove myself at Celtic.

"I had to leave PSV because I wasn't getting playing time. We had an agreement to let me go to somewhere where I could play more. When I was at PSV they liked me a lot and they wanted me in the team but it was quite difficult for the coach because the captain was in my position. It was hard for me to play. It was the decision of my agent [to leave]. He made the decision, that's why I had to leave."

Might he become equally frustrated and restless at Celtic, then? He said the subject of how often he would play had not yet come up in discussions with Neil Lennon, but every dealing with the Celtic manager and others around the club had convinced him he had made the right career decision. "I love the city of Glasgow and I feel at home. The players and the coaching staff have been very good to me. They are good people. They have been encouraging me in training. It's a nice feeling for me.

"I am here to develop my game. I can make something out of nothing. I could have gone elsewhere but I chose Celtic. I could have gone to clubs in England, Germany or Belgium. I think I can make a big name for myself. That's why I am here. I see more chance of developing myself here. It's not just about playing it's about developing and being better in the future. I think this is the right place for me."

Ibrahim is tiny and slight, yet the praise and career moves he has amassed would suggest a footballer of considerable talent and potential. He and Gaddafi moved from Nigeria to Portugal when he signed for Sporting Lisbon aged 16, before moving on to Eindhoven at 19. It did not worry him that gnarled Clydesdale Bank Premier League defenders might regard him as easy meat, and try to rough him up. "It's good to play in that [environment] because you have to learn more and be stronger. That will help me develop myself. I am used to players trying to kick me. That's why I have to be fast and think fast as well."

Lennon has already purred over his technical ability and said he was reminiscent of Shunsuke Nakamura. In Nigeria he has been likened to one of that country's finest talents, Jay-Jay Okocha. "I am really flattered to be compared to players like that. But I am Rabiu and I have my own talent to show. Those sort of comparisons haven't made it difficult for me. People can have these feelings about me but I am myself and I just want to play. I used to like watching Zinedine Zidane. At the moment it's David Silva. I like the way he plays. I try to play like him. I watch him all the time."

Celtic supporters want to watch Ibrahim, at least to see the type of player they've got. Processing his UK work permit may not be complete in time for him to be available to face Falkirk in Sunday's Scottish Communities League Cup final, but otherwise he is fit and ready to play. Lennon knows what talents Ibrahim brings to the club, and must hope he will can show the patience which was absent in Holland.