CELTIC star Nir Bitton has revealed a heart-to-heart chat with Ronny Deila in November has kickstarted his season.
The Israeli international has been one of Celtic's most consistent performers as the Hoops hit top form again.
But he admitted it took a talk with the Parkhead manager to put the spark back in his performances after a mid-season slump.
Bitton said: "I had a conversation with the coach in November and he told he what he expects from me and what I was required to do.
"It wasn't a matter of a pep talk or criticism, but a professional conversation.
"It was about what I could change in my game to make me a better player. He told me why I wasn't playing as much as I should.
"From then on, I understood what was expected of me and it's pushed me on.
"Since then I have played 90 minutes every week and I think I have become a better player."
Bitton watched international colleague Beram Kayal move south to England, but although the midfielder admits his ultimate aim is to have a crack at the English Premier League, he's in no rush to quit Parkhead because he is desperate for medals.
He said: "I have a distant dream to reach the Premier League, but it's still early.
"Everybody dreams of the top, but at the moment my place is at Celtic for the coming years.
"This year, the league is closer and that means it is good to play in.
"I have never won a Championship and that's my ambition as a footballer.
"Last year I was in the Celtic team that won the league, but for me that wasn't significant because I was still acclimatising.
"This season I feel I have put in a meaningful contribution and to win the league with a huge club like Celtic would be a dream. But first we have to win the title because there is still a long way to go."
And Bitton believes Celtic can stun Inter Milan in the Europa League later this month.
He said: "Inter are a great team and it will be a very tough match.
"But we believe in ourselves and think we can get past them.
"To play in a stadium like the San Siro is what every player aspires to."
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