Ryan McGowan is sure of one thing: Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou desperately craves success on the European stage.

The ex-Hearts and Dundee United defensive midfielder watched on with interest as Celtic gave as good as they got against Europa League group stage opponents against Bayer Leverkusen and Real Betis last season.

He believes those experiences against top-level Bundesliga and La Liga sides will have served to whet Postecoglou's appetite for more and only strengthened his resolve to make his mark with Celtic in the Champions League group phase.

McGowan, now at St Johnstone, is convinced more than ever that Postecoglou possesses a burning ambition to succeed in European competition with Celtic.

The winners of the Scottish Premiership qualified automatically for the Champions League group stages. Celtic raked in a multimillion-pound jackpot as well as the prestige that comes with being seated at the top table of European football.

The 22-cap Socceroo said: "European Football is what Postecoglu has set his sights on. He will really want to make an impact in the Champions League group stages.

"I feel he got a glimpse into that during the Europa League group matches, especially against Bayer Leverkusen and Real Betis.

"Celtic will be better prepared in terms of understanding what the manager wants - and he will also have the players capable of making an impact. 

"Postecoglou knows that to be recognised in Europe he will need Celtic to play well and that will allow him to showcase his skills as a manager on that stage.

"That is what he has been working towards ever since he got into management."

It's not a bad situation for the man who flew halfway across the world with no backroom staff to take a club at a low ebb after blowing the chance to win a historic 10 titles in a row.

Having added Harry Kewell to his coaching retinue during the summer, as well as overseeing some structural changes with the B side, McGowan reckons even more exciting times lie ahead for the men in green and white under Postecoglou's guidance.

McGowan said: "He wants to get everyone fully on board with how he wants to play. He's also said that there are a lot of people at Celtic who were involved in nine years of success. 

"It would have been silly of him to just dismiss that knowledge and not use that last season's hurt at not winning anything as motivation.

"And he most definitely will make sure that no one is resting on their laurels and will be pushing for an even more successful campaign now."

For the time being, McGowan, 33, readily admits that he is mightily proud to see Postecoglou act as a trailblazer for Australian coaches in European football.

McGowan said: "Australian football is right behind him and everyone is hoping he's successful at Celtic.  He's showing Aussie coaches that there is a pathway.

"Hopefully, in the future, we can see more and more Aussie coaches working in Europe."