GREG TAYLOR has confessed that he misses playing for Celtic.
The Scotland left-back, 27, quit Celtic and his homeland altogether to seal a shock move abroad on a free transfer after running down his contract at Parkhead.
Taylor was linked with clubs from across Europe but settled on Greece when PAOK came calling and offered him a three-year deal.
He now plays alongside two former Hoops team-mates in Thessaloniki after Giorgos Giakoumakis joined Taylor and Jonjoe Kenny at the club on loan in August.
Regular starts at Celtic this season wasn’t guaranteed with Kieran Tierney arriving and Taylor wanted a new challenge away from Scotland.
But he still keeps a close eye on his old team and admits he watches on with a hint of envy for the players who still wear green and white.
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Asked if he missed Celtic, he told the Scottish Football Social Club show:”For sure. It was an amazing time in my life and Scotland is my home.
“My friends and family are still there so you’d be lying if you said ‘I’m in Greece and I love it here and I don’t think about Scotland.’
“Of course you do. Naturally, I played so many games at Celtic and loved it as well.
“You watch on with a bit of envy when they are winning and then obviously when it’s not going so well you think, it’s nice to be away!”
Taylor understands he wasn’t every Celtic fan’s cup of tea during his six-year stint with the club.
But almost six months on from his exit, Taylor remains a fan favourite for many and he still receives messages from supporters who miss him.
He said: “It’s nice that people miss you and respect what you did because there were definitely periods in my career at Celtic where people didn’t think I was up to it or wished for someone else.
“That’s the truth of the matter. So it’s nice to feel that way but equally it’s now a period that’s done.
“I can look back on some amazing times. I won so many trophies and won so many games and had so many amazing memories with my friends and family who enjoyed it with me.
“So it’s a club that I really love and I still watch on and hope they create more memories for themselves.”
Taylor was signed by Neil Lennon and stayed as first choice under Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers.
His best years came under the former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss, who deployed him in the inverted role.
Pressed on whether or not he believes Postecoglou could replace Rodgers in the hot-seat next summer when his contract runs out, surprised Taylor replied: “Jesus! I don’t even know where to start with that. There are so many hypotheticals there.
“Right now, Brendan’s the manager and doing an amazing job. Who knows what will happen at the end of the season. A guy who I’ve got so much respect for.”
He was also put on the spot when asked if he could see himself rejoining the Hoops.
He added: “I’ve just signed a contract with PAOK and I’m excited to try and make a success here of it. I think the hypotheticals seem a long way away.”
Taylor was linked with Dinamo Zagreb as well as PAOK in the summer after he left Celtic.
But former team-mate and SunSport columnist Kris Boyd believed he could have stayed in Glasgow – but not at Celtic.
He urged his old team Rangers to take a shock punt on the left-back despite him spending more than half a decade at Parkhead.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
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Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton teased Taylor about the shock rumours.
The left-back saod: “I can answer it… I was not close to Rangers! There’s no silence! I was not close, let’s get that in there!”
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