Celtic ace 'excited' for Premiership run-in as midfielder returns from injury ahead of Hearts clash

Paulo Bernardo says he is “excited for the coming weeks” after recovering from an ankle injury suffered against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup.

The Portugal U21 star, 23, went off during the first half of that 5-0 fifth round win in January after setting up the opener for team-mate Daizen Maeda. And after a couple of months out - the midfielder is available for selection this Saturday when Hearts make the trip through to Glasgow.

He’s missed out on the Champions League knockout round ties against Bayern Munich and the recent Old Firm defeat to Rangers.

Eager to get back out there, he said: “I can play football again so I’m really excited for the coming weeks. The injury was bad but I recovered very well and hopefully I can play from now on.

Paulo Bernardo wants to break back into Celtic team

“It’s been a while for me being off the pitch so probably not 90 minutes but I will do the best as I can if the coach (Brendan Rodgers) wants me to play.

“I had the opportunity to recover well and to work on other things that I couldn’t do during the season. It was a good time to recover and to do other things too. We as a team still have some goals to achieve and we will try our best to do that as soon as possible.

“For me personally, I want to have good games before the end of the season and do my best every game. Each opportunity that I have, I will try to give it all on the pitch.

“It was bad when I saw the results of the (initial injury) scan. I thought it was a short-term injury but it actually wasn't. Hearts will be a difficult game for us.”

Jota return great for fellow countryman Paulo Bernardo

Bernardo missed out on the double-header against Bundesliga giants Bayern, who Celtic took all the way in the second leg before losing a late leveller at the Allianz, and the midfielder added: "I think the Champions League is amazing for us and for the club.

“The financial aspect of it too. I think everything about the Champions League is amazing. We can play with the best players in the world. It's an experience for our lives and for our careers. I think it's really important to have that again next season too.

On fellow countryman Jota’s January return, Bernardo added: “It is nice to have him here with me.”