DORUS de Vries, the Dutch keeper who replaced Craig Gordon in the Celtic starting line-up on Saturday, has insisted he is ready to face Rangers and Barcelona after coming through his first full game of the season.

De Vries, who signed a two year deal with the Scottish champions earlier this month, performed well for his new club in their 4-1 victory over Ladbrokes Premiership rivals Aberdeen at Celtic Park at the weekend.

The 35-year-old, who had been sidelined with an ankle injury, previously worked under Brendan Rodgers at Swansea City and was preferred to Gordon at the weekend due to his greater aptitude for passing the ball out of defence.

Read more: Rodgers shows ruthless side by axing Celtic keeper Gordon after Champions League glory nightThe Herald: Celtic goalkeeper Dorus de Vries, left, shakes hands with Leigh Griffiths after the Aberdeen game on Saturday.

The former Nottingham Forest player is hoping to retain his place in the Celtic side for their Premiership match against Rangers at Parkhead on Saturday week and the opening Champions League group game against Barcelona in the Nou Camp three days later.

“I always feel ready,” he said. “Especially after Saturday. You always want to get your debut out of the way. It was a good win by the team and especially after returning from my injury in the last two weeks. It’s just been really nice to be on the training pitch. The more you train and the more you play games the better it will become.

Read more: Rodgers shows ruthless side by axing Celtic keeper Gordon after Champions League glory night

“I’ve only been here for a short time, but it’s a great time to be involved. There’s a lot of things happening at the club. I was there in Israel the other day and you could see how much it means to qualify for the Champions League again, which is a great achievement by all the players.

“That was a great moment to step on and kick on. Saturday was a really important game. We all know about Aberdeen and what they did last year. They are always going to be a good side and in the past Celtic have always been a little bit difficult against them. But we showed today that we intend to do whatever we can do and score goals.The Herald: Celtic goalkeeper Dorus de Vries displaced Craig Gordon for the game against Aberdeen

“You always want a game, it doesn’t matter who against. If it’s a pre-season friendly, it’s a pre-season friendly, it doesn’t matter which opposition. You don’t take things for granted as a player, you never should, you don’t want overestimation or underestimation to come into play. All you want to do is perform on the day itself, whoever the opponent is it doesn’t matter.”

De Vries, who was substituted after 19 minutes of Nottingham Forest’s match against Burton Albion at the start of the month, confirmed that Gordon had wished him well before kick-off on Saturday and stressed there was no resentment within the Celtic squad at his selection.

“I think throughout my whole career at every club I’ve been it’s no different, whether goalkeepers or players,” he said. “There is always somebody there who wants to fight for their place, especially at a club like Celtic. There has to be competition, there has to be fighting for places because that’s how you get the most out of people.

“I was just wanting to focus on the Aberdeen game, which was important game for everybody and for me as well. It was great to have my debut. What’s happening in the future I don’t know, I’m playing now and I want to be part of it of course, but it’s just up to the manager’s decision.

“Craig and the other goalkeepers as well wished me well. And that’s the way I like to work as well, my character is the same. You always want to wish the team well and players and Craig is not any different. We are professionals, you want to get the best result out of the players and you support each other no matter what.”

De Vries, who played for Dunfermline Athletic during the 2006/07 season, admitted he had been brought in due to his familiarity with the system Rodgers is trying to implement at Celtic.

“The gaffer is someone I know from working with him in the past,” he said. “I know exactly what he expects from his goalkeeper. You can see more and more teams have been developing in recent years. I think it’s an important part of the game.

“It’s a playing style that I’m used to. It goes back to my Swansea days under the gaffer. I’m there as an outlet just to keep ball possession. Sometimes it’s a little bit harder to keep it and as a goalkeeper you play your part in that.

“Saturday was a really good game. Instantly you know what’s in front of you and that’s good for me because as a goalkeeper you want to make your debut at a great club like this and you’re trying to search for your pace, your rhythm if you know what I mean.

“Playing is a big part of course and you want to be good in ball possession, sometimes you force it a little bit and sometimes it doesn’t work out but that’s just the way it is. But it’s the knowing process, the learning process of getting to know the players, getting to know the timing of it, when to do it, when not to do it. That was actually a good game for us.”