Wilson admitted the reality of it all has not set in yet, saying, "I think it will sink in a wee bit more over the next few days when I meet the players and get into training and I’m definitely looking forward to it.
"There was a lot of speculation and obviously what’s in the papers sometimes isn’t true and I had to concentrate on my job at Dundee United.
“I didn’t really think anything was going to come of all the speculation but it all happened rather fast in the end up.”
Hoops' boss Gordon Strachan spoke of his admiration for the full-back, but stressed that the signing was not a panic buy. He said, "You’ve got to remember that the decision to sign Mark was taken a long time ago, it’s not a knee-jerk reaction, that’s for sure.
“When I first came to this club, Tom O’Neill said to me, ‘That’s your man.’ so I said let me see him for myself, I’ve seen him on television but I wanted to take a look at him myself.
“So let’s get this right, it’s not a knee-jerk reaction. This has been in progress now for six months without actually speaking to Dundee United or Mark.
“The progress was me turning up and watching Dundee United quite a lot, seeing Mark playing against us and then the decision was taken, ‘Yeh we can afford that, we can do that, so let’s get on with it.’
“So it’s nothing to do with losing a couple of goals in the last couple of weeks, it’s to do with the future of the club and what we can do in the future, that’s for sure.”
On Mark Wilson, Strachan added, "He can play football, he can get forward, he can tackle, he’s got the intelligence to take in information, which will happen every day here.
“He’s got hunger, he’s got an honesty about him so, if you take all these factors, he’s in with a half-decent chance!
"Wilson has signed on a four and half year deal, and is likely to make his debt at Fir Park on Sunday. He will wear the number 12 shirt for Celtic.