DARREN O'DEA would have been forgiven a trip over his bottom lip last Sunday.

The 20-year-old Irishman found himself back on the bench for the Old Firm game - despite his exertions in the San Siro four days earlier - with Gordon Strachan favouring the experience of Steven Pressley.

O'Dea, however, shrugged off the disappointment and, as he put pen to paper on an extended deal that keeps him at the club until 2010 - with Celtic having the option of a further year beyond that - he revealed that he would have handed Pressley a starting jersey had he been in the same position as his boss.

"The manager didn't need to speak to me at the weekend because I know what the story is and I am quite happy with it," he said.

"I was obviously delighted to play against AC Milan, but I knew there was a good chance Steven would come back in. He had done nothing wrong and the only reason I was playing was because he was cup-tied.

"In my opinion he deserved to go back in. There are top-class defenders all around the club and I understand I can come into the team one week and be out the next, which is why I am willing to work even harder to stay there.

"One day, hopefully, I'll go in and stay there."

That day when O'Dea gets into the team and remains at the heart of Celtic's defence - in much the same way that Stephen McManus has done - shouldn't be too far away if he continues to progress the way he has this season.

The defender was drafted into the senior side when circumstances dictated, as the Hoops were struck down by all sorts of injury problems. Gary Caldwell, Mark Wilson, Bobo Balde and McManus have all been out this season - so O'Dea was handed his chance.

It was an opportunity that he took and, with 16 first-team appearances now under his belt this season, he is more or less guaranteed some silverware to show off this summer.

Regardless, he says there is still much for him to strive for.

"I have signed the contract and I am delighted to be at the club, but I am in no way satisfied with myself or what I have done because in my mind I have not achieved anything yet," added O'Dea.

"I have played a few games and it's just up to me to play and train harder and learn as much as I possibly can off the players and coaches around me, and kick on from here."

Lean, with an imposing physique that suggests time well spent in the gym, O'Dea revealed that the extra hours put in on his fitness are what he believes gave him the edge to get into the first team.

An incident a few years back when the scales revealed stats he wasn't particularly happy about, inspired him to put in more time on the weights, a move that has served him well.

"There was one day we all got our body fat measured and I realised I was probably one of the highest," he said. "It embarrassed me to say the least, not that I was overweight or anything, but it is little things that make the difference and that certainly made the difference to me.

"As a young boy, I ate and drank what I wanted, but I learned that you can't really do that, so I worked very hard when we were off and I was up in the gym every day. It meant that when we came back I was in good shape for pre-season so I could kick on and improve my fitness again.

"As a player I understand the real importance of it. You have to eat the right things at the right times because training is so intense and games are so intense that you need to fuel your body properly and I've learned to do that.

"You can't just be fit, you need to have ability, but you need to have all the right things in terms of character."

He continued: "But when you are in the reserves and on the fringes, then I think it is small things that can make the difference to you."

Spotted by Celtic when he played - and scored twice - in a Home Farm under-15 side that beat their Parkhead counterparts, O'Dea arrived in Glasgow when he was just 15, and the first demons he had to conquer were the homesick variety.

An only child, who remains close to his parents, the Dubliner initially found it hard to settle into his new lifestyle.

"It was very tough," he said. "I had wonderful digs with a women called Pam Mizarra but, without her and her family, I don't think I would have lasted very long - they were a wonderful help to me.

"It can get tough because my family are a big part of my life and I missed them a lot.

"My parents work, but they come over as often as they can and we talk every day on the phone.

"Both played basketball. My mum, Anne, played the sport at international level and my dad, John, played at quite a high level, too. So there was always sport in the family, but not football.

"They tried to get me involved in basketball but there was never any doubt in my head it was football for me."