From Falkirk to Dortmund, Ross County to Atalanta, and now on the cusp of a trip along the M74 to face Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Alex Valle's time at Celtic so far has been a whirlwind.

The fact that the 20-year-old's stay in Glasgow is temporary – on a season-long loan from La Liga giants Barcelona – only underlines the importance of adaptability from a player who's likewise spent time at Futbol Club Andorra and Levante.

Even the full-back's spot in Brendan Rodgers' starting XI has an element of transience to it, the full-back stepping up to the plate in place of the injured Greg Taylor. And yet, competition for places invariably underpins success at the Scottish champions.

“This move has been great for me so far," said Valle. "I have full confidence in myself, my team-mates, the staff – everyone at the club. They’ve been really close to me and they’ve helped me a lot.

"The city of Glasgow is awesome, I really like it. I’m really happy here. I’ve been settling in the city and at the club but it takes time, especially because of the style and the way we play. It’s different to where I’ve come from.

"So I’ve had to adapt and get better in every game. With confidence and getting minutes, I’ve been improving every week. But I still think I can do more and go even further. I’m still finding myself here but I’m getting more confident.

"The competition between myself and Greg is really healthy. He’s a great person and a great player also. It was unfortunate for Greg to get injured but these things happen in football.

"But it has given me the opportunity to come into the team. I’ve tried to take my chance and give the best I can. Whether I stay there is not my decision, I’m just trying to do everything I can in every game and training session."

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With Taylor still making his way back from injury, Valle's next opportunity to give his all on the pitch will almost certainly be today at Fir Park.

He and his peers return to domestic action against Stuart Kettlewell's men off the back of a hard-fought but well-earned 0-0 draw against Atalanta in Bergamo, wherein Celtic showed a grittier side to their game on the continent.

Defending for the vast majority of the UEFA Champions League group-phase encounter, the visitors snatched a flurry of half-chances in the closing stages as they sought to hit last year's Europa League winners on the break.

History would suggest the roles will be reversed this afternoon in North Lanarkshire, but in any event, Valle dismisses any notion of the hackneyed European hangover label habitually tied to the match after the one before.

He added: “It’s a hard thing to do, coming back from a European match to play in a tough Scottish league game.

"But we have to show our strength from the Champions League and take that into Sunday’s game, which will be difficult. We have to be as competitive as we can to try and win the game.

"The style of play in Scotland is not totally different to Spain but certain aspects are. It’s definitely more physical here, there is more contact.

"But at Celtic we’re used to having the ball a lot, which is the same as at Barcelona. So in that aspect, I’m fairly comfortable."

That's how Valle feels on a collective level, but what about his ambitions as a young player, living in a foreign country, at such a formative stage in professional and personal life?

"I’m looking forward to this season," he said. "I just go year-by-year. I don’t know what will happen in the future. But I’m enjoying it here. I love this city, it’s been great for me.

"First of all, I just want to learn as much as I can here. I’m a young player so it’s really important to play as much as I can and develop. Then, if trophies come I’ll be happy, of course.

"That’s what we want, everyone at Celtic, the fans and the players. It’s normal that we want to achieve that. We want to win as many trophies as we can."