STEPHEN MCMANUS gives the impression that butter wouldn't melt in his mouth these days. He wasn't always such a cool customer. There is a passage in Gordon Strachan's autobiography in which the Celtic manager describes the mild alarm he felt when watching McManus during the team's turbulent 4-4 draw at Motherwell in 2005.

It was the opening day of the SPL season, Strachan's first league game in charge, in day three of the fall-out from losing 5-0 at Artmedia Bratislava, and everyone around the club was hyperventilating. Not least McManus, then just an unsure-of-himself 22-year-old with only nine competitive appearances to his name.

"He gave the impression of looking upon it as a trial game that would decide his entire career," Strachan wrote in My Life In Football, his 2006 book.

His young centre-half had been as hyped up as any player Strachan had ever seen.

"We had to shout at him to calm down - had he not done so, he would have blown up in a cloud of smoke or got sent off." There was no red card for McManus that afternoon and nor did he go up in smoke. Instead the game began his permanent occupation of a place in the Celtic back four, the past 12 months of which have been as captain.

"I've made it into his book have I?" he said, laughing loudly when Strachan's words were put to him before Friday night's friendly in Southampton.

"I do remember that Motherwell game. I don't have any airs or graces. If someone had said to me a while ago listen, this is where you're going to be in five years' I'd have said you're having a laugh, you should be in a mental institution'."

McManus lifted the SPL championship trophy as Celtic captain in May and if an award was given to the league's most humble footballer he would be an annual contender. He told an anecdote which showed how a sense of duty to his family had helped him stay grounded regardless of the fame and riches which come his way as an Old Firm player.

Both of his grandfathers were among the small family delegation which would follow Celtic reserves around the country when McManus was trying to make his name with them.

One Friday in March, 2003, his father's father, Charlie, passed away. McManus made his full Celtic debut just two days later.

"I know for a fact that my parents and my family are the proudest people because I did not come from anything beforehand. I've always played the game.

"My dad and my two papas used to go everywhere. They went to Inverurie Locos, Deveronvale and Forres Mechanics when I was in the reserves playing pre-season games. My papa passed away on the Friday so he never got to see me playing. It's things like that that bring it all back to you, how far you've come. I want to keep going for as far and as long as I can."

The debut Charlie McManus missed was against Hibs at Easter Road.

McManus knew he had a chance of inclusion but remembers the buzz of anticipation with fellow hopefuls such as Aiden McGeady and Kevin McBride that afternoon, and the numbing shock of hearing his name in the side.

"When Martin O'Neill read out the team it was like boom'. Was that my name he read out there?' "You get the fright of your life. It's things like that that you remember. It's a massive, massive thing for a young kid and I was no different."

It isn't unusual to hear players dish out platitudes about how they realise how fortunate they are, how they thank their lucky stars every day and so on.

McManus is far more convincing than most, though.

As a defender he has a general level of consistency and dependability which have made him a fine Celtic player, albeit one who still has room for improvement. But as Neil Lennon's successor as captain he has been an excellent appointment by Strachan.

He has taken on the responsibility and lived up to its expectations. McManus is well liked among players of all clubs and has friends in the Rangers team. He takes his position, and his good fortune, seriously.

Technically he is the longest-serving player on Celtic's books. He joined the club a decade ago on the same day as John Kennedy. Kennedy is at Motherwell for the time being though, on yet another comeback after a career scarred by the sort of serious injuries which McManus has so far been fortunate enough to avoid.

"John's career proves that you never know what will happen next," he said. "If it all gets taken away from you tomorrow then you can say well, I've had a hell of a ride up until now, I have been one of the lucky ones'.

"There was a picture in The Celtic View of the two of us on the day we signed. It's an absolutely shocker. I think I was 15 and John was 14."

The captain's armband gives an impression of immovability from the Celtic team which may be misleading.

In the closing weeks of last season Gary Caldwell was the more impressive member of Celtic's partnership at the back and it may be McManus who is most vulnerable if the pursuit of the Romanian international Gabriel Tamas, or some other incoming central defender, is successful. Strachan's willingness to pay Auxerre around £3.5 million for Tamas is a declaration that one of the existing central defenders is on borrowed time as an automatic starter.

McManus is realistic enough to accept that his status as captain is meaningless in that respect.

"Whether you are the captain or not has no relevance whatsoever. Everyone is back to square one and you need to earn the right to get into the side. I am no different from anyone else. I will be working my socks off to make sure I am in the side. It's up to the manager at the end of the day. We have had very good players here and competition for quite a while. The manager will pick the 11 that he thinks will fit the bill to retain the title again and go on to bigger and better things.

"When you play for Celtic or Rangers there are challenges all the time and if the Romanian lad comes in, he has a good pedigree. He played at Euro 2008 - every minute of every game, which is great - and if he comes in he will be another great addition to the squad."

McManus was cool as a cucumber as he talked about this potential threat to his status quo as a Celtic player and captain. He has come a long, long way since the day which made it into his manager's book.