The 25-year-old forward returned to Easter Road last night in a three-year deal, bringing his unhappy spell with the Scottish champions to an end.

He quit the Capital club for the east end of Glasgow in June 2006 but failed to establish himself in Gordon Strachan's plans, spending most of his time at Celtic on the bench or in the stand.

The striker is delighted to be back at Hibs and is determined to make his mark under Mixu Paatelainen following a difficult couple of years.

"It feels like I've lost a couple of years but I'm raring to go," he said.

"Obviously everybody makes choices in their lives and it either happens or it doesn't happen.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be back at Hibs at Hibs. It'll be great to work with Mixu again to help Hibs get back up the table.|

Of his time spent playing with the reserves at Celtic, he added: "It's really frustrating – it depresses you to be honest."

Riordan is now hoping to make the most of his second spell at Hibs, insisting: "I'm absolutely delighted and I'm just raring to get going again."

Paatelainen earlier told of his delight at bringing Derek Riordan back to Easter Road - and insisted his side have bagged a more mature and level-headed player than the one who quit Hibs two years ago.

The striker put pen to paper on a three-year deal last night, just hours before the window was closed, finally bringing one of the longest-running transfer battles of the summer to a close.

Paatelainen, who also brought defender Sol Bamba in yesterday from Dunfermline, had initially tried to re-sign Riordan in January but the player was forced to stay at Parkhead for a further six months where he was frozen out by boss Gordon Strachan and forced to train and play with the reserves.

However, Paatelainen believes that experience will have served only to strengthen his character and says that the Hibs support will see a very different Riordan, who has found himself in the glare of the media spotlight on more than one occasion, when he makes his debut second time around against Dundee United a week on Saturday.

The Finn said: "I am very pleased to have Derek back and I am excited that he will be part of our squad again.

"I played in the same team as him for a year and he is a fabulous talent.

"We are getting a player who has matured by two years and realises what it is like being at a massive club like Celtic and the pressure that comes with that.

"I don't think that it was the most enjoyable time for him but he has seen what it is like elsewhere and realises what a good club Hibs are.

"He had a tough time at Celtic but everything that you go through in life and in football gives you more experience and broadens your horizons and your view.

"I am excited to see him back at the club, he is a natural goalscorer, a proven goalscorer. We have been looking at him for quite a while now and indeed it was talked about during the last transfer window in January. But he's here now and that is all that matters."

Riordan's signing, combined with that of Bamba from Dunfermline, saw Easter Road chairman Rod Petrie splash out around £500,000 yesterday.

David van Zanten, Joe Keenan, Steven Thicot and Steve Pinau have also been brought into the club over the summer and Paatelainen added: "I am thankful to the board and to the chairman for putting everything in place to make the new signings possible.

"There have always been funds available to bring in new players, no-one has ever said otherwise.

"We have gone about our business carefully and maybe slower than some people had wanted, but we have got the players that we wanted. I feel that we have strengthened our squad in a number of areas of the pitch, although we did not manage to bring in a goalkeeper.

"It just wasn't possible but that is something that we will hopefully look at again."