PAULO BERNARDO insists he has been trying his best to claim a permanent place in the Celtic first team this season.
However, the former Portugal Under-21 captain, who joined in a permanent deal in the summer of 2024 in a £3.5million switch from Benfica, refuses to rule out the possibility of a return to his homeland.
Bernardo is only 18 months into a five-year deal, but, following an excellent initial impact on loan from the Lisbon giants, he became a bit-part player for Brendan Rodgers and started only two during Wilfried Nancy’s disastrous eight games in charge.
ON THE BALL…Paulo Bernardo in control during Celtic’s 6-0 Premier Sports League Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen at Hampden last season.
The 24-year-old midfielder has been on the fringes of Martin O’Neill’s squad, but has found it difficult to dislodge captain Callum McGregor, £11million man Arne Engels, 16-goal Benjamin Nygren and even Reo Hatate who has been struggling for form all season.
Luke McCowan is also ahead of him in the pecking order and O’Neill has added former England playmaker Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain to his pool.
Reacting to talk of return to his homeland, Bernardo, who hasn’t featured in a Premiership game this year, said: “I love Portugal and, for me, living in Portugal is a privilege, so it could happen.
“I don’t know what will happen, but I see it in a positive light and I’m not closing any doors.”
Looking at Celtic’s current situation, Bernardo, speaking to local media outlet Sapo, continued: “We’re coming off three wins, we’re in a good period, they were hard-fought victories, but they’re three points and that always gives the group confidence.
THAT SINKING FEELING…Paulo Bernardo can’t bear to show his face as Celtic collapse to a 2-1 loss to Dundee United at Tanadice in December.
“We’re in a good moment to face Stuttgart. German teams are quite competitive, they run a lot, so the game won’t be easy and we play the first leg at home, so that might give us a bit of an advantage.
“We struggled for half the season, but we’re managing to get back into the rhythm.
“Things have been going well and I think we’re giving a good response after that more negative period.”
Bernardo added: “It’s been a somewhat complicated season, but I’ve been trying my best to fight for my place and do what I’ve done in recent seasons.”
* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Celtic v VfB Stuttgart this evening – only in your champion CQN.
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