Celtic supporters are eager for the return of domestic football with the international break over for this month.
Celtic are back in action this weekend, with Hearts visiting Glasgow’s east end.
During the international break, Celtic have many players representing their countries at various levels.
Scotland internationalist Anthony Ralston, who started both of his country’s games, sees his experiences with Scotland as beneficial for his ongoing development at Celtic.
Despite Scotland’s losses to Poland and Portugal, Ralston faced off against high-calibre players like Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and believes such challenges will boost his confidence and performance levels.
Speaking to The Herald, Ralston said: “He’s a good player and I’ll learn from games like that, coming up against those types of opponents.
“I relish it and take it head-on. This is the level I want to play my football at.
“From a personal point of view, I respect that he’s a quality player. But on the pitch, I’ve got a job to do against a winger, one v one, and I felt I did fine.
“I’ll take confidence from that and use it going forward in my career. Games like that, against that quality, can only help me for Celtic and Scotland in the future.
“It’s a great experience for me to play against a player like Leao. I need to learn from it and use it both at Celtic and when I’m called upon for Scotland.”
With Alistair Johnston possibly sidelined due to a hamstring issue picked up on duty with Canada, Ralston may need to step up against Hearts.
At the end of last season, Brendan Rodgers had said that he was keen to get the player some more minutes this season, after rarely featuring last.
With Ralston, you know what you’re getting. He’ll give you a solid performance and leave it all out on the pitch.
Hopefully, though, Johnston is fit to come back into the Celtic team. He’s been superb this season has just got better and better as the games have went on.
