Why Paulo Bernardo needs to finish the season strongly

It’s fair to say that Paulo Bernardo has had a bit of a topsy turvy campaign thus far. The Portuguese youngster at first found it tough following his loan move from Benfica. But unfortunately he still seems to be under-performing and that form he showed at the end of last year has seemed to have disappeared.

Back then he gradually showed what he’s all about with a couple of stand out performances. Most notably in the Derby win over theRangers at the end of last year in which he opened the scoring with a superbly taken goal. But since then his form has seemed to dip and he found himself back on the bench until injury sidelined Callum McGregor.

That was Paulo’s chance to find his form once again and prove he’s worth a place in the Celtic starting XI. Most Celtic supporters including myself were happy for the club to pay the option to buy price that Benfica inserted in his loan deal. But that seems to be uncertain now due to Paulo’s dip in form. However it’s going to be a decision that Brendan Rodgers will take and there’s still time for Paulo to prove himself worthy of a permanent move to Celtic.

Hopefully though he finds his form once again. He has the talent, that is not in question, but he’s got to show it on a consistent basis. It’s also going to be even more tougher for him as Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate are due to return after the international break.

A cynic might reckon that he’s simply getting a chance to find his feet this season before he replaces Matt O’Riley in the summer with another £25m or so heading off to gather interest in the PLC’s bank account.

Will Paulo prove he’s worth a permanent contract at the club? Time will tell. For me the jury is out.