Lewis Morgan accepted an apology from Hearts’ Peter Haring on Saturday afternoon after taking a substantial kick but if the winger gets his way there will be a few more bruises to show.

The former St Mirren player has had to settle for a place on the fringes of Brendan Rodgers’ side since his arrival from Paisley but is looking to follow the example of Ryan Christie and take his chance whenever it comes.

Christie is on the brink of agreeing a new deal with the club after impressing in recent games and the playmaker’s patience in waiting on the opportunity has not been lost on Morgan.

“I am happy for Ryan,” said Morgan. “He has done really well in the last few games. He has trained well, he has bid his time and that is something that I hope will come my way. It is frustrating not playing but the team are doing well and it is a team game.

“You want to help out but you have to be patient as Ryan was and now he is doing really well. He has deserved his place and hopefully he will remain there.

“I don’t think it is now or never. I am 22 so I have got ten or 15 years ahead of me so I don’t put that pressure on myself. What I do do is come in and work hard and try to show the manager why I should be in the team and when that chance does come I will be in a position where I can take it.

“I am not looking to go out on loan. I am looking to go out and play. I am just focusing on the games coming up. We have been doing really well and we are hoping to keep it going.

“I think we have 9 games in December. I am hoping I get my chance no matter what. I don’t want to be put in because of injuries. I am trying to show every day why I should be playing. The team is doing really well just now which is the most important thing but if I can come on and influence things then hopefully I will see where that takes me.”

Morgan was handed a starting jersey for the Europa League game in Germany against Leipzig almost a fortnight ago as Celtic lost to the Bundesliga side.

They host Leipzig tomorrow night in a game they realistically need to win if they are to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Certainly, there is a feeling in Rodgers’ squad that the game is coming along at the right time. The Parkhead side have hit their best form of the season, in domestic terms at least, in recent weeks with their last three outings bringing forth 13 goals without replay.

And Morgan believes that there will be an open element to the game tomorrow night at Celtic Park which will suit the Hoops.

“We were always aware that our home games would be important and this one is really pivotal for us,” he said. “We showed in Germany – for the first period anyway – that we could go toe to toe with them and I believe we have a real chance of getting a positive result on Thursday.

“That was my first start and I want to experience a lot more of that. You want to get that rhythm in your game by getting starts under your belt but there are loads of guys here who want to play. It was a positive experience for me.

“We go into every game with confidence and thinking we can win it but, when you’re firing on all cylinders, then you want the matches to come thick and fast. No matter what our form had been like, though, this is a tie we would have been looking forward to.

“The home games are the ones we’d targeted as the ones where we could really put a marker down in Europe because playing abroad is always tough and anything you get is a bonus. But you’ve seen in the past that Celtic Park can be a massive asset for us on the night.

“We’re in good form and so are they so it should be some game.

“Domestically, we’re used to having to break teams down but we need to approach games differently in Europe because the standard of the opposition is higher but we definitely have enough to get the win. We showed in patched over there that we were a match for them and we’re full of confidence.

“It was an open encounter in Leipzig and I think they have a similar style to us so it should be an entertaining contest.”

Morgan was barely in the door at Celtic Park this summer than he was linked with a reunion with Jack Ross, who had just taken over the Sunderland post.

It was, the winger stressed, a move that was never on the radar either on loan or otherwise.

“It was paper talk,” said the winger. “I never heard anything about that. When I came in I didn’t want to go anywhere else so that was never a possibility. I am here and I want to try and fight for my place at this club.

“It was paper talk. I never heard anything about that. When I came in I didn’t want to go anywhere else so that was never a possibility. I am here and I want to try and fight for my place at this club.

“The demands that are put upon us and the intensity of training is higher than what I was used to before. It is a team of winners in there and the expectation levels has risen. Training with the calibre of player brings you on and with the staff that we have got here they are experienced and know what they are talking about. Working with all of them has been really beneficial to me.”