Thomas Rogne would welcome arrival of Campbell at Celtic

THOMAS Rogne says he could only benefit from playing alongside Sol Campbell if Celtic manage to secure the services of the veteran defender this summer.

The 35-year-old is out of contract following a second spell at Arsenal last season and is reportedly high on Celtic manager Neil Lennon's wish-list.

Campbell has so far refused to rule out a move to Glasgow and Rogne says he would welcome the opportunity to work with such an experienced player rather than fear for his place.

"You could learn a lot from him," said the 19-year-old. "He has played in a lot of big games and he has a lot of experience.

"You want to be ahead of other players but there will always be competition for places so you just need to focus on yourself."

Robbie Keane enjoyed a successful loan spell at Celtic last season and some fans are hoping for another name signing ahead of the new campaign.

Rogne said: "Robbie Keane wasn't just a big name – he was also a great player as well and a great professional. To me, it doesn't matter if it's a big name, as long as he is a good player.

"I'm sure the club is going to make the right decision regarding which players to bring in."

Rogne himself will almost be like a new signing after rarely featuring since signing for Celtic in January from Norwegian side Stabaek.

A hamstring injury forced him out of his Old Firm debut in February, before he suffered a recurrence of the problem upon his return three months later.

Rogne said: "I'm back a bit early to prepare for pre-season and I need to make sure I'm fit after the injury. I've been training very hard over the last few weeks and just want to make sure I'm fine for the new season. For me, last season was quite short so there has been a lot of training.

"I want to play and the injury has been frustrating. It's always important to stay injury-free and play as much as possible.

"Hopefully everyone will see a good player next season. Maybe they have seen a little bit and hopefully I can build on that for the new season.

"I really want it to be a great season for me."

Rogne was signed by Tony Mowbray but is relishing the prospect of working under new manager Lennon, who enjoyed a successful spell as interim manager at the end of the campaign.

He said: "I think Neil Lennon is a fantastic manager, he's a great person as well, and he is the right guy for the job. I haven't spoken to him yet about next season but we have a good relationship."