Former Celtic ace Tosh McKinlay has backed new boy Jozo Simunovic to fill the void left by defender Virgil van Dijk with the Scottish champions.

The Dutch centre-back left Parkhead to join Premier League side Southampton on transfer deadline day, with Simunovic later recruited from Dinamo Zagreb.

Despite being some £6m cheaper than Van Dijk - who left for £11.5m - McKinlay is certain that the Croatia international will enjoy a seamless transition to life with the Glasgow side.

"Virgil wanted to go elsewhere and that's what happened, but with Jozo Simunovic coming in there is plenty at the club," McKinlay, who spent five years with the Scottish giants until 1999, told Herald Scotland.

"Here is a guy who has already played over 100 times for Dinamo Zagreb, has captained Croatia's Under-21s and already has great pedigree.

"I have seen a lot of footage of him, he's a fantastic footballer. So it will be seamless with him coming in and Van Dijk going. Certainly, from what I have seen, he can come in and do a fantastic job for Celtic. He is Rolls Royce material and he can certainly make a big impact in the Scottish game."

Ronny Deila's side sit top of the Scottish Premiership with 16 points from a possible 18 thus far.