Patrick Roberts has lamented the hiatus to the domestic campaign as the international calendar takes precedence now.

The Celtic winger made his first appearance at Fir Park on Sunday afternoon since the 29th November where, ironically, he had broken down with a reoccurrence of a second hamstring issue of the season.

Roberts clipped the bar on Sunday after coming on from the bench midway through the second period and in ideal world he would have used that game time to kick on. Instead, with no football for until the end of the month when Celtic host Ross County, the player is left to trudge through a gym schedule as he maintains his fitness levels.

“To be honest the break has come at a really bad time for me,” he said. “Having finally got back onto the pitch ideally I would have wanted to kick on from that so getting ready now for a fortnight of kicking my heels isn’t the best.

“Injuries are just a part of football and all I can do is keep working on my fitness.

“England under-21s have a few games and I would normally have been away with them. But Sunday was the first time I was able to get some first-team time since the end of November so it was too early for me to get back in.

“It is about maintaining my fitness. I will get a short break and get a chance to go and see my family but I also want to keep on top of it.

“It does feel unusual. For the last four years I have been away with every England team at my age group so it feels a bit weird to be sitting out. It is just one of those things but it is frustrating.”

And Roberts admitted that psychologically it was important for him to get back on the pitch after a season that has been heavily interrupted by injury.

That the hamstring issue reared its head twice ensured a degree of trepidation as he came off the bench but the Celtic winger was relieved that everything felt as it should.

Roberts, on loan from parent club Manchester City until the end of the season, had consulted with a hamstring specialist in order to ascertain when he was fully ready to get back onto the pitch. Having made the first step he is keen now to make up for lost time.

“It feels like it has been a really disappointing season from a personal point of view,” he said. “I had hoped to come in and kick on from where I finished off last season but the injuries just knocked me sideways.

“I have a strong mentality and I know that there are times when you just have to cope with injuries and being out of the team but it obviously wasn’t what I wanted. That has been quite tough to take but hopefully now I can finish the season as strongly as I can. Hopefully I can get back to a level that I was at before I got injured.

“It felt long being out. I was out then I was in and then back out again. I was a bit worried about it so it was important to come on and get that out of the way. I lasted only ten minutes the last time I was at Fir Park before I had to go off so it was important to get on get 20 minutes on Sunday!

“It feels like an important first step.”

Roberts was an integral part of Rodgers’ invincibles last term as he weighed in with 11 goals from 47 appearances. So far this term he has netted just once but much more will be expected as Celtic set their sights on the run in.

Roberts has joined Stuart Armstrong and Dedryck Boyata in getting back out of the treatment room while Craig Gordon also appears to be on course for a return to action earlier than anticipated.

With a ten point lead at the top of the table and a game in hand, Celtic progression towards a seventh successive title is little more than a canter but with the club vying to make their mark with a back-to-back treble, having key players match fit will strengthen their hand.

“I have only scored one goal so far this season so it would be nice to add a few to that now before the end of the season,” said Roberts. “It is about looking forward now.

“It is getting to the business end of the season. We only like to look to the next game and take it from there but I just feel fresh and really able to go and get back into it between now and the end of the season.”