AIDAN NESBITT is ready to hit top gear in his career after reaping the benefits of a steep learning curve at Morton.

The 20-year-old has established himself as a key player for Jim Duffy’s side during his season-long loan from Celtic.

Nesbitt initially joined the Ton on a five-month temporary transfer in August before extending his stay until the end of the campaign at the beginning of January.

With 19 starts and seven substitute appearances already under his belt to date, Nesbitt feels his Cappielow tenure has been huge in terms of his maturation as a player.

He said: “Matches against say Dumbarton at home are sometimes a battle. You don’t really get many games like that at development football. In games like that you’re totally just learning.

“Then obviously we got to the Betfred Cup semi-final and played against Rangers at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup. When you get to those stages of major competitions, it is a big step in your learning.”

Morton are also enjoying the pay-off from another Old Firm connection. Jamie Lindsay and central-midfield partner Andy Murdoch came against each other as they came up through the ranks at Celtic and Rangers as kids.

The pair have linked up to great effect in Morton colours, setting the tone for the team as the energetic heartbeat in the middle of the park.

Celtic loanee Lindsay told Morton’s website: “We’ve got an understanding and we actually talk about it: how we’ve been playing together and how we’ve been playing well together.

“I played against Andy for years when I with Celtic and he was with Rangers. I even remember playing against him at Under-14s all the way up to Under-20s, and we went away with Scotland.

“This season I’ve absolutely loved playing with him. It’s been brilliant. Ever since the first couple of games we’ve just clicked.”