It was a comfortable re-introduction back to the north west for the former Bolton man at the weekend and after the game he revealed: “My best years are still ahead of me.
“I have been playing in England for the last four years and I think that every year I have improved including the last 12 months at Chelsea.
“There is always the desire to keep on improving all professionals think that way. You have to keep learning and getting better and I am sure I will do that.
“In terms of my fitness, the game at Stockport was my first for this season, but I felt not too bad and hopefully I will get another outing at Celtic Park.
“I worked very hard before I even reported back to Stamford Bridge for training. I hired a personal trainer in Israel and did plenty of running on the beach and gym work and I think I am in good shape. It is just matches I will need.”
And for those who thought the 26-year-old didn’t see much action with the Barclays Premier League runners-up last season, he stated: “I played 22 times for Chelsea, which wasn’t bad given the rotation there and the size of the squad, obviously though I am looking forward to playing more at City.
“I prefer to play in the middle, but I can also play at right back and left back if I am asked to by the Manager.
“But I am not taking anything for granted because there are good defenders here like Micah Richards and Richard Dunne, but I do not see why we cannot all play together and be fantastic for the Club.”
And in the process of making his debut against Stockport, Tal became the second player from Israel to play for City, something he was fully aware of.
He added: “I am the second Israeli international to be here at City and I know that the first, Eyal Berkovic, was a big hit with the fans.
“We are very different personalities but I hope to have a similar relationship with the fans.
“They certainly gave me a warm welcome at Stockport at the weekend. I also know that the better we do the more popular all the players will be.”
