Ronny Deila keen to hold onto Forster and van Dijk

Fraser Forster is with England but Ronny Deila is hopeful of keeping the Englishman and Virgil van Dijk in Glasgow. Picture: Getty

The Scottish champions confirmed the appointment of the 38-year-old Norwegian as manager on a 12-month rolling contract on Friday.

Deila, who guided Stromsgodset to their first title in 43 years last season and won the Norwegian Cup in 2010, takes over from Neil Lennon who left Celtic two weeks ago and his first game in charge will be a Champions League qualifier next month.

Before then and before the transfer window closes, the Parkhead board may have to fend off offers for some of the club’s highly-rated players such as Forster, who will be at the World Cup in Brazil with England, and Dutch defender van Dijk.

However, Deila refused to be worried about the prospect.

“It is not a fear,” he said. “It is football.

“We have to be ahead all the time. We always have to be one step in front.

“But of course we want to have good players here and I hope those two stay and be a part of the team this year so we can do very good things.”

Deila shrugged off favourable comparisons with highly-successful Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp, saying “No, I am Ronny Deila” and looked forward to bringing his own football philosophy to Glasgow.

He said: “The board will see what I am doing with the club. That is important. If I do things well and make people around me happy and push the right buttons, we are going to get the right results.

“If the performances are good then the results will come.

“I want to play offensive football, have the game under control with the ball and create chances.

“And especially at the home games, we are going to give the fans entertaining football.

“And of course, (I want) to win trophies and develop players and the staff.

“Everyone needs to progress and if we can do that we can achieve big things.”