He's had an eye-opening year abroad - but Conor Hazard says a Celtic starting spot is still his main objective until told otherwise.
The Northern Irish international has been voted Player of the Year at Finnish champions HJK Helsinki after helping them claim title glory for the 2022 season. It's been a demanding run for the 24-year-old who went straight from the first half of last season into the calendar-year run on foreign ground, meaning he hasn't had a break in well over a year.
That's no problem for him with the World Cup break looming and an easing in fixtures now occurring after the conclusion of league football in Finland for another year. Two more Europa League Group F fixtures await against Roma and Real Betis await before Hazard's return to Celtic, where just last year he wasn't playing while Ange Postecoglou's side faced off against the latter. Getting the chance to test himself against such opposition has been a big plus.
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Speaking exclusively to Glasgow Live, he said: "Football is a strange game. So much can change in a year, I've gone from not playing to playing at a high level in Europe.
"It's a great opportunity for me and a great feeling to have been playing week in, week out. Roma was very good and I was delighted to make so many saves against them.
"There's two big games. Sometimes it was very hard to get ourselves going between playing a Thursday and playing on the weekend, but most of the players found it easy to get highly motivated for your Roma's of the world."
An impressive 14 clean sheets have been kept in Hazard's 37 matches at Klubi and it's helped him win the supporters Player of the Year award.
He'd be lying if he knew that was the case when a Finnish tannoy announcement broadcast that news, but the nice boost to cap off a fantastic domestic year for the Celtic loanee.
What's more is he's adjusted to a brand new way of living abroad which is different to the hectic nature of being involved day-to-day at Parkhead.
Hazard explained: "It's a different culture. There's a different aspect on life compared to Scotland here. It's been very good to live in this year and I can have no complaints.
"It isn't as hectic as Glasgow! There's a lot of pressure on anyone who comes to a new club and that expectation of coming anywhere is about trying to make a name for yourself.
"At the start it was hard to get used to. There was only a few hours of daylight! But I have loved every minute of it, it's a great club to be at. I am glad I was able to show people what I can do."
He's getting back to Scotland just before the Finnish winter kicks in again, with Hazard set to turn his attention to becoming his parent club's number one.
That won't be an easy feat, with Joe Hart the undisputed number one and Benjamin Siegrist, Scott Bain and Vasilis Barkas are all still contracted to Celtic.
As a boyhood fan of the club and having had a taste of that responsibility in his eight senior Hoops outings so far, the stopper is keen to give it his best go with plenty of time to go yet on his contract.
He added: "The weather is just starting to turn but it's been a beautiful country and a great club, I owe Helsinki quite a deal.
"I have had this experience of playing very well for a year, week-in-week-out, and obviously getting to the Europa League.
"It's not really been spoken about (his long-term future) and I haven't really put any thought into it as I have been playing every week.
"I'll take my break and see what happens. Celtic have been keeping up to date with my games. I am contracted to them for the next year-and-a-half. Celtic has always been my dream club.
"I have been a Celtic fan all of my life. That's never an issue. If there's an opportunity to fight for my place there, I will work as hard as I can to do that. I will just need to see what happens. Being Celtic number one has always been on my cards.
"It's why I have made all these decisions to try and get that. I haven't been able to get a full season under my belt but I have one now, so my goal is still to be Celtic's number one unless told otherwise."
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