FOLLOWING his professional debut against CFR Cluj in the UEFA Europa League last month, and a couple of namechecks on Neil Lennon's matchday bench in Scotland, fledgling Hoops star Scott Robertson has been delighted with his involvement in the Celtic first team this campaign so far.

Now, the 18-year-old midfielder is hard at work at the club’s mid-season training camp in Dubai, and admits his first taste of senior-level football has left him longing for more. In order to achieve this, Robertson well-understands that this starts on the training pitch, and believes he’s learning from the best in the business.

“The first day of the mid-season training camp was really hard, we started off with the beep test and it didn’t get any easier after that,” said Robertson in an exclusive interview with Celtic TV. “That’s what these breaks are all about, though.

“We’ve had our break at Christmas and now it’s about getting the fitness levels back up, getting your touch, the ball at your feet, getting the legs back, and all of that will hopefully stand us in good stead for the rest of the season.

“It was amazing to get some game time in Europe this year, against Cluj. Getting to the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League is such a special achievement in itself, if I was to be a part of that in any way, that’d be absolutely brilliant. But, either way, there can only ever be a chance of that happening if I keep working hard on the training pitch. And that’s exactly what I want to do.

“Here at the camp, the overriding message from management has been to work hard, do your work and reap the benefits. We know we’re not here for a holiday. We know exactly what we need to do.”

Like many of the first-team players he’s now rubbing shoulders with, Robertson is a product of the Celtic Youth Academy, and has recently transitioned from an attacking midfielder role to a deeper, No.8 position.

In turn, the 18-year-old has enjoyed learning from the likes of Scott Brown, Callum McGregor and Olivier Ntcham, and reckons his job on the pitch is made easier by the wealth of talent around him.

He added: “From now until the end of the season, again from a personal perspective, I just want to keep training with the first team as much as I can. If I get more chances to be part of the squad, maybe even some more game-time, then that’d be a fantastic bonus.”

Scott Robertson: Taste of Euro football has me hungry for more