I HOPE I HAVEN'T BROKEN ANY HEARTS

STEVEN PRESSLEY last night revealed he almost turned down a move to Celtic because he didn't know if he could face playing Hearts.

Pressley is set to line up against his old club on January 15 after signing an 18-month deal with the SPL leaders.

And he admitted it would feel strange to walk back into Tynecastle and to the visitors' dressing room.

Celtic succeeded with an 11th-hour bid to grab 33-year-old Pressley from under the noses of Charlton - as Record Sport exclusively revealed yesterday.

The lure of Celtic and the chance to work under Gordon Strachan was too much for the Scotland defender to turn down.

But he had to consider what it would be like to play against a club with whom he spent more than eight years, many of them as their inspirational captain.

Pressley said: "It did look like I would finish my career at Hearts, but circumstances changed and dictated that I have been forced to make a footballing decision.

"It will be strange to go back there and sit in the away dressing room but I'm looking forward to it and the challenges ahead. I've a lot to prove here.

"But my passion is football and I have been given, I think, a fantastic opportunity at this stage of my career and one that I'm going to relish.

"I would hope the Hearts fans understand. It was a professional decision and to play at Celtic is a great honour.

"I now have to concern myself with trying to please the Celtic support. I will do my utmost to achieve that."

Pressley admitted his shock departure from Hearts after a public statement about his unhappiness with the Vladimir Romanov regime hurt him and took some time to get over.

That is why he took his time and weighed up all his options before opting to join Celtic.

Pressley said: "It was emotional to leave Hearts. There have been a number of factors why it has taken me so long to make a decision.

"One was the birth of my baby daughter and the other was that it took me several weeks to get over the fact I'd no longer be playing there.

"I needed to clear my mind to make sure I knew what I wanted to do in the future. Now that's happened, I'm very much excited about this."

Pressley joins Kenny Miller as a former Rangers star who now plays for Celtic, the first time two ex-Ibrox players have been at the club at the same time.

Asked if the Rangers factor had even crossed his mind, Pressley said: "No consideration at all. This was a footballing decision.

"Regardless of what team I represent, I try to give the club my full commitment both on and off the park. That will be no different at Celtic."

Celtic boss Strachan was clearly happy to have got his man after his weeks of negotiations.

He said: "I'm delighted. I hope this will be a fantastic experience for him.

"He has turned into an exceptional leader. I have young defenders and our guys can learn from Steven."

Taken from the Daily Record