PAULO BERNARDO’S eight-game injury-enforced absence is poised to come to a halt when Celtic take on Hearts at Parkhead on Saturday.
The Portuguese midfielder is standing by for a welcome return to action when the champions restart their bid for a fourth successive title following the international break.
Bernardo hasn’t been seen since he was taken off before the interval in the 5-0 Scottish Cup victory over Raith Rovers in the east end of Glasgow early last month.
ROARING SUCCESS…Paulo Bernardo shouts for joy after scoring in Celtic’s 6-0 Premiership win over St Johnstone in Perth in September.
X-rays showed the playmaker had sustained an ankle injury that would force him onto the sidelines after making 36 appearances in the club’s previous 39 games.
Bernardo’s agony is over and he is hoping to get the nod from Brendan Rodgers to play at some stage of the match against the Edinburgh side.
The relieved 23-year-old performer said: “I can play football again, so I’m really excited for the weeks that are coming.
“It was bad when I saw the results of the scan because I also thought it was a short-term injury.
“But I’ve had the opportunity to recover well and to work on other things that I couldn’t do during the season.”
Bernardo is ready to renew his partnership with fellow-former Benfica prospect Filipe Jota in the run-in to the season that could see the Hoops seal an ninth treble.
The former Portuguese Under-21 skipper, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “I’m looking forward to playing with everyone, but it’s nice to have Jota here with me.
“I speak a lot with him, so I think we are a good double, too.
“I just spoke with him after he re-signed, not before, but he was really excited to be here again.”
ON THE RUN…Paulo Bernardo is challenged by Aberdeen’s Graeme Shinnie in Celtic’s 1-0 victory at Pittodrie in December.
Asked if he was fit to play at the weekend, Bernardo answered: “I would say yes, but it’s been a while for me away from the pitch.
“So, probably not 90 minutes, but I will try my best to do as best as I can if the coach wants me to play.
“Every player wants to play all the games and, as a team, we still have some goals to achieve, and we will try our best to do that as soon as possible.
“And, for me, I want to have good games before the end of the season and try to do my best in every game. Each opportunity that I have, I will try to give it all on the pitch.
“We know that Hearts will be a difficult game, but we will do our best and we have learned from the other games what we can improve – and we will try to do it.
“We are ready to go again and with the supporters on our side it’s always easier to play.”
