ALFREDO Morelos was reduced to some argy-bargy in a vain attempt get something from Sunday’s Old Firm game. Unfortunately for the Rangers man, his would-be victim was happy to square up … the ­Colombian picked on the wrong man.

As Christopher Jullien’s English is not far off faultless, Celtic’s French defender may well have used the Glasgow vernacular after Morelos stamped on his foot inside the Celtic box on Sunday with the score 1-0 to the visitors.

Jullien got angry but no punches were thrown. Rather, he made sure Morelos got the message that such tactics would not work.

But if he did want a scrap then the £7 million man from Toulouse, all 6ft 4in of him was not going to back down.

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Jullien, who seemed rather proud of his reaction, said: “That’s the game. He is a good player and one who tries to use a trick to disturb a defender.

“He stamped on my foot but that’s part of football. It’s kind of like trash talk. There are things like this in every sport.

“Sometimes you can make more of it. But, as I say, it’s part of the game. It’s what I said to him after he stamped on my foot, ‘You can come more and more [at me] for more than one time. The more you come at me, the more the zero stays on that scoreboard’.

“I punched my heart and told him that this is my strength and this is where I come from. A guy like him is not going to put me down. No-one is going to put me down.

“If I’m still on the field, if I can still stand up, I am going to say what I can say.

“I just said to him, ‘come to me and we’re going to have a fight for sure. But with me it’s going to come from within, from my heart. I will be ready’.”

Jullien was ­outstanding against Rangers. If this is how he plays all season, and the 26-year-old insists there is more to come, then Celtic have got themselves one hell of a player.

He is a leader. That much is clear. He never stopped ­talking during a game. And he won every header and never lost a tackle.

Then after the final whistle, the player right at the front of the celebrations was Celtic’s second most expensive signing of all time.

“I think Sunday was my best moment in football, for sure,” said Jullien. “I hadn’t seen an atmosphere like that. In Paris, it’s really good, they have the crowds, but it’s not the PSG as before. It’s changed a bit.

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“Every time I go to Marseille, they are a team whose fans think they will win everything. If the team does something bad, the fans are hard on them.

“For me, Sunday’s atmosphere was better. At the entrance to the game, my legs were shaking, everything. It was really good. The importance of the game, the stress beforehand, everyone was ignited at once.

“When you see our reaction with the fans afterwards, you can see what it was before. All the stress is normal for a footballer and winning those games are so enjoyable.”

Jullien arrived at Celtic with a big price tag and a determination to make his mark right away. Football doesn’t work like that.

He wasn’t match fit and, as the new guy – even one who was bought to play in every game – it took time for him to find his voice in terms of screaming at a team-mate when things go wrong. It is safe to say he has found it now.

Jullien recalled: “I remember my first shout. Look, at the beginning when I had just arrived, I wanted to say something but just kept quiet. So, the first time I shouted at someone it was Jozo. Just after that he said the same thing to me, so it was a funny moment.

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“It was a little thing. This happens. Things come out. When you feel comfortable, you find it easier to say things and you say the words more softly and the guys understand me.

“Communication is a big part of football. What we say before each game, just before we enter the field is: ‘Communicate, communicate.’ It is more important in my position because we see the game. Sometimes the strikers and midfield don’t see the game so much because it’s behind them.

“So, we need to give out instructions during matches and, for me, it is 50 per cent of our game. We press a lot. And when you press you have to know who is behind you. If you go and press and the guy supposed to be behind isn’t there, it can be a problem.”

Jullien’s slow start to Celtic is certainly behind him. He defends like Bobo Balde and has a pass and touch on him. That’s what £7m can get you.