They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that seems to very well be the case for the aptly-named Joe Hart and his fellow Celtic teammates.

The veteran goalkeeper – who turns 37 next month – is in the midst of his swan song in both his time at the club and football in general, as he announced his intention to call time on his trophy-laden career just last month. Even still, the former England stalwart enjoyed his last international break, as he took time to reset and reflect, ahead of a busy schedule from now until the end of the domestic season.

Speaking to the media on Friday ahead of his side’s trip to Livingston on Sunday afternoon, Hart insisted that the temporary pause in proceedings has been a fruitful one. He said: “Yeah, it’s been good and used well. People got some good international minutes, and some stayed back and got some good training in.

“We’re all ready to go, especially the guys who haven’t had internationals as a distraction. We’re looking forward to Sunday. We’re in a good place. There’s always that kind of fresh feeling after an international break. You spend an awful amount of time with each other so it’s nice to have some time apart.

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“There were a few stories to share and moments with good people and getting a few people back fit, which means we’re in a good spot.

Hart will not be short of a story or two to share, that’s for sure. A professional career that has spanned over 20 years, he has had spells in the top flights of England, Italy and now Scotland. He will have been part of many dressing rooms, with all forms of different players and personalities to work alongside. Despite this, Hart rates his final collection of teammates very highly in his estimations as a whole.  Speaking of big players coming back into contention fully fit, he said: “It's a great feeling.

“There is no doubt we are at our best when we have everybody available, and the manager has decisions to make on who he picks. In every single position, we are strong when people are fit, and we are getting towards that point.

This is an exciting place to be with such a potentially exciting end to the season.”

Despite this admiration, the experienced shot-stopper admitted that the break has allowed for the tight-knit group to spend some time apart, whether that be on individual breaks or away on international duty. Speaking about the squad’s bond and whether the break gives the side a refresh, Hart said: “Yes, of course. That's life. We are a family. We are a team. We are a group of people who are working together, squabbling, fighting and looking to do what's best for each other and what's best for the team.

“For that relationship to flourish you need to have time apart sometimes - a refresh. Some people are in a good place, and they need to calm down. Some people need to go and get minutes elsewhere. Some people just need some time away and it works. The March window has always been there. Only COVID disrupted that. Whether it's, good, bad or indifferent it is what it is.  I think we have used it from all aspects as a positive.

“Football is really good like that and these international breaks for everyone at different stages in their career really do help.”

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For Celtic and Hart, they face a busy end to the domestic season, with a maximum of 10 games in the next couple of months to contend with. A league and cup double could await the side at the end of May, which would be an apt finish to what has been a glittering career for the former Manchester City, Torino, and West Ham United man, to name a few of his past employers. Only winning silverware in Manchester and now at Celtic, the veteran has still managed to deal with various levels of pressure throughout his career. The question is: how does he do it? He said: “I think you just concentrate on what you can take care of.

“We have one more training session in which we are going to prepare, and we've got all the bodies back through the door and we managed to train together practically as a full squad. We have got another chance to discuss Livingston and what we are going to implement in the game.

“On Sunday we have all that to focus on.”