Celtic star Alexandro Bernabei admits he's had a testing first season at Parkhead, but is determined to stay and play in the Champions League next season.

The full back joined last summer in a £3.75 million deal from Lanus in his homeland, but has been mostly used as an understudy to Greg Taylor.

Bernabei, 22, still managed to make nine league starts with a further six from the bench as the Hoops swept to the title and he's desperate to make a bigger impact next term.

He said: "There are not many players who go to Europe and immediately become a first pick. The first season is always the hardest.

"You find a more structured and organised game in Europe.

"It was hard for me this season, it's not what I expected because I came from being a starter at Lanús. There were many things that impacted me - the birth of my first daughter, the language, the death of my grandfather, who was the one who raised me. It was a pretty tough year for me in general.

"I think next season will be better. I have a contract until 2027. My head is here, I want to get into the first 11 and to play more minutes in the Champions League.

"The language is a problem. I came with very little English, almost none and on top of that, Scottish English is very difficult. A year has gone by and I still find it hard.

"We have some friends who came from Miami and even they don't understand the Scots, they have to ask them to speak more slowly.

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"As for life outside football, it's hard to get used to because the sun doesn't come out, it rains every day. In winter there was a lot of snow. We are entering the summer, now so there is a bit of sunshine at least."

And Bernabei, in an interview in his homeland, gave an interesting insight into the tactics of manager Ange Postecoglou, who could be set to move to Spurs.

He said: "In terms of football, we play a 4-3-3 formation and have a manager who likes the full-backs to go inside, something you don't see so much in Argentina.

"It was quite difficult for me to adapt to that system. He wants the full-back to be able to play as a No.5, go up and down and come out and play the ball.

"That's what Pep Guardiola did at Bayern Munich with Joshua Kimmich and at Manchester City with Joao Cancelo and now John Stones.

"It was a bit complicated because I had never been asked to do that. Sometimes I'm afraid to get into the middle too much, it's a responsibility. If the No.5 loses the ball, the two centre-backs are one on one, and if we are open, it gets tricky.

"But the manager is very clear about what he wants to play, he's very demanding. When he sees that you're not at the same level as your teammates, he tells you. He wants everyone to be at 100 per cent."

And Bernabei admitted his favourite moment of the season was when he scored at Ross County and the Celtic fans chanted a tribute to his South American country.

He said: "After the goal, hearing the fans chanting 'Argentina, Argentina', was something incredible for me.

"It was an inexplicable feeling, it gave me goosebumps when I heard them."