The winger has opened up on his early rollercoaster at Celtic Park after leaving Real Oviedo

Haissem Hassan is determined to make the stattos eat their words and serve up a goal feast in Scotland.

He just needs a bit of time to work out when dinner will be served.

Hassan is still settling at Celtic following his big switch in the summer from Real Oviedo in Spain.

The Egyptian winger has shown flashes of the thrilling dribbling skills that lit up the World Cup – and dazzled Argentina in particular.

But Hassan still has some doubters to win over, with question marks over his end product, with critics pointing to his number of assists and the fact he’s yet to open his Hoops goal account.

The data doesn’t always tell the full story – you can lay a chance on a plate but you can’t do much if a team-mate can’t finish their dinner.

Hassan is convinced the numbers will come as he is feeling more comfortable in his new surroundings – even if his new tea-time is taking some getting used to. He said: “I am happy here. It’s a nice city. I live here with my family and they are happy here, too.

“It is cold but it is good! It’s a big city that has it all so I’m happy here. It’s good to feel the love of the fans. I try to stop as much as possible and take a photo with them.

“I like the culture. But I have been living in France and Spain where people have dinner quite late. Here it’s very early so it’s the only thing I need to get used to.”

Hassan wants to get used to gobbling up a few chances as well.

He came close to his first Celtic goal in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Dundee United and there have been a few other near misses too.

He said: “I am really keen to score my first goal for Celtic and also add assists. The goal feels closer and closer. The other day I was close. The game before that I assisted goals so hopefully it will come soon.”

Hassan landed for a fee north of £6million after Celtic had pursued him all summer.

But he’s not quite nailed down his place as one of the first names on the team-sheet and has come off the bench in recent weeks.

Martin O’Neill is convinced the wide man will be a Celtic star but there are a few rough edges that first need to be polished up.

Hassan likes to torment defenders but needs an occasional reminder when it comes to doing the other side of the game. O’Neill has been on his case to track back and give the likes of Colby Donovan a helping hand.

But the message is getting through. Hassan said: “Defensive-wise I need to improve. On the attacking side I need the numbers on goals and assists.

“I should not be losing my head about it. I just need to focus on training. When I get the minutes, I need to try to produce and contribute to the team’s performance.

“I will focus on doing this.

“In terms of defending, the team in Spain asked me a lot as well. The teams you play against are also good teams and I had to defend more.”

Hassan knows he’s not the finished article but it certainly helps having a manager in O’Neill who is a two-time European Cup winner for guidance.

Shaun Maloney is also no stranger to the winger role and the Celtic No.2 has played a big role in helping Hassan find his feet.

The Egyptian ace said: “Shaun helps me a lot.

“He is close to the players and always tries to help them.

“He had a good career as a winger. Whenever he speaks to me, I always try to listen and take it into account. Having him as a reference point really helps me.

“The wingers in this team are at a really good level. When I go on the pitch, I have to give my best.

“But the competition is good for us all.

“If one player comes out and does well, the rest of us know we must do even more.

“It’s been really good so far.”

Hassan is hoping to be let loose at Falkirk today as Celts bid to extend their league lead to seven points, while Rangers are on Premier Sports Cup duty. But the attacker is not ready to give up on Europe yet either, with Besiktas in town on Thursday and Celts yet to get off the mark after three Europa League games.

Hassan said: “We still have five games to go. A win over Besiktas would give us hope and confidence.

“If we win the rest of the games or get as many points as possible, we definitely hope we can qualify for the next stage.

“This game is at home. We have the fans with us and hopefully we can get a good result. I don’t think that the Europa League has been a disappointment.

“We have a good side and management but the results have cost us.

“We are struggling a bit now. But we can improve and we’ll try to play in the best way.”