IMPRESSED Norwich City manager Dean Smith said that Celtic are a ‘Premier League team in the making’ after watching his side go down by two goals to nil at Celtic Park.

Smith’s side had difficulty living with the pace and movement of the Celtic side at times, and he conceded after the game that the pre-season friendly had provided a thorough examination of his team.

Having just been relegated from the Premier League, Smith is in a good position to compare Ange Postecoglou’s side to some of the giants of the English game, and he was fulsome in his praise of the Scottish champions in that regard.

“Celtic are a good level team,” Smith said. “You can see what they have been working on. 

“They have good rotation and movement, full-backs coming inside and the wide players drift onto the outside and try to give overloads in different parts of the pitch. They have really good movement too. 

“They are probably a Premier League team in the making. 

“[It was] a really good test for us. Obviously we’ve got Hibs tomorrow but it’s a great game to have going into Cardiff next weekend. 

“A real test because of the way they play, they have really good technicians of the ball and play at speed.

“I’m happy with it.”