Hinkel happy to focus on Hoops

09 September 2009 15:10
The Hoops full-back was linked with moves to both England and Germany before last Tuesday's deadline finally put an end to the speculation. However, Hinkel - whose wife gave birth to a baby daughter recently - insists he never had any intention of uprooting his family and quitting Glasgow. "Of course it's a compliment when people tell you that this team or that team want you," he said. "But it can also get on your nerves at the same time. "I read different stories about the possibility of going to teams in England and Germany and at the same time I was trying to play for Celtic and look after my family. "That wasn't easy but it was only for two weeks and it's over now." Celtic surrendered the Scottish Premier League title to Rangers on the final day of last season. But, with three domestic trophies to challenge for and the Europa League to look forward to this time around, Hinkel insists the Hoops are optimistic about the season ahead. He said: "We have a very strong squad at the moment and I think we can do good things this year. "We have won the league in three out of the last four years and we will be looking to add to that. "I believe our squad is capable of making a real challenge. "At the moment, we are competing in four tournaments. "It means we have a lot of hard games but the manager has quality players available to him and I think we can cope with this schedule." On a personal note, Hinkel is also enjoying life under the stewardship of new boss Tony Mowbray. He told the Celtic View: "I like playing the type of football that we produce at Celtic. I am very happy at the moment. "You always want to be comfortable at a club. You always want to enjoy playing football and that's the best way to sum up my feelings at Celtic - I enjoy it."

Source: Team_Talk