Celtic star Paulo Bernardo has explained how his loan move to Polish side Gornik Zabrze came about. The midfielder arrived at Parkhead with big hopes, having been a regular for Portugal under-21s, but he has struggled for game time.
Bernardo did feature in as many as 20 games last season, but he was a substitute for the vast majority, with Martin O'Neill not fully convinced.
A move was always on the cards this summer, and in the end, a solution was found in the form of a loan, with Bernardo to spend the season on loan with Polish side Gornik Zabrze, where German legend Likas Podolski spent the last five years of his career, retiring at the age of 41 this summer.
Bernardo opens up on Celtic exit
Speaking to Przegląd Sportowy, Bernardo discussed his move, saying: "Górnik really pushed for me to come here. The coach, staff, and board really wanted me. For me, the most important thing is playing football.
“Last season at Celtic, I didn’t have many opportunities; a second year in a row without regular appearances wasn’t an option. After discussions with the coach and board, I felt it was the best decision.”
The move will hopefully be one that works out for all parties, given Bernardo was not a regular starter. Ultimately, Bernardo is still only 24 years of age, so there is still some hope he can find some confidence and come back to make a bigger impact.
O'Neill may not be convinced, but there is a chance the next manager sees things differently and gives the Portuguese youth international a chance to impress, or perhaps finds a way to get more out of him.
There is also the reality of Callum McGregor being ahead of Bernardo, and the veteran is not going to be around forever. O'Neill said as much towards the end of last season, saying: “He’s one of a number of lads who I think have been really unfortunate.
“Paulo’s probably best as a No. 6 and we’ve got the captain [Callum McGregor] in there. Alex [Oxlade-Chamberlain] can play that role too. Paulo played in a European game for us and did really fine. He’s been unlucky.”
There could yet be another opportunity for Bernardo in the future, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on over in Poland. Bernardo needs to find some confidence and get the mindset of being a week-in, week-out starter.
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