There was at least one non-Italian spectator at the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven on Monday night who was just as pleased to see Dino Zoff's side win as those sporting the Azzuri strips in the stands.

Wim Jansen cut a rather less exuberant figure than those around him as he applauded at the final whistle, but his happiness ran just as deep.

The result itself mattered little to a man who is more neutral than most. His joy, however, was only for the fact that he had just seen for himself the old Henrik Larsson.

Jansen was the striker's mentor at Feynoord and the £650,000 he paid to take the Swede to Celtic in 1997 and, in retrospect, still ranks as the best buy of recent history.

An obsession with the game, combined with their similar personalities, has seen the two keep in touch, despite Jansen's departure from Parkhead.

There was no Euro 2000 reunion in Eindhoven as such but, having personally run the rule over Larsson at close quarters, Jansen told Soccernet that any doubts about his return to full fitness were promptly dispelled.

'When you consider what he's been through, it was an outstanding performance,' said the 1998 title-winning coach. 'It was a hard match for him because the Italians always have a strong defenders and they mark so tightly.

'You would not have known that Henrik is not 100 per cent fit. Mentally and physically he has recovered fully now and, in many ways, you would never know that he had been injured.

'His goal showed that he is full of confidence and I was surprised just how good he looked. When you examine his performance against the situation it was unbelievable.

'Another superb performer was Alessandro del Piero and Henrik compared very well with him in all aspects of his play. I'm sure Celtic fans can look forward to Henrik returning for the new season the player he was before the injury.'

The man himself is now starting a two-week holiday in Sweden before reporting for pre-season training in Glasgow a week later than many of his colleagues.

Having phoned a post-match progress and fitness bulletin to Celtic Park, Larsson declared himself more content now than the past traumatic months have allowed.

'I need this holiday and cleared it with the club so that I could get a decent rest before starting to prepare for the new season,' said Larsson. 'I was pleased to get 90 minutes - especially at that level against opposition like Italy and I think I proved that I am still an international player who is capable of performing.

'I feel good, both mentally and physically, and everything is fine. Now I'm looking forward to spending some time at home before returning for the new season and I ' m looking forward to it. I hope we can do something good.'

Meanwhile, Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale has confirmed that Celtic have accepted his club's bid for Mark Viduka. The player is currently in Japan, however, and the Premiership club will have to wait a while yet before beginning negotiations on his personal terms.