Scottish Premiership debut against Celtic left the midfielder overwhelmed

Brazilian football is renowned across the world for fierce passion, energy, colour and intensity. South American fans in general need no excuse to show raw emotion, often creating some wild scenes before, during and after games. So, when Eduardo Ageu arrived in Scotland as Hearts’ record signing, he would have been expected to take Tynecastle Park in his stride.

The £1.7m midfielder from Portuguese club Santa Clara is Brazilian born and bred, yet Edinburgh has taken him aback slightly. Hearts fans, buoyed by their team’s eight-point advantage atop the Scottish Premiership, are bringing the noise on a weekly basis. Ageu made his home debut as a substitute in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over champions Celtic and finished the afternoon raving about the passionate Tynecastle support.

The 23-year-old suffered the frustration of a hamstring injury on his debut at Livingston last month. He showed plenty promise in that fixture as a creative but energetic type, and the wait for him to regain fitness seemed longer than four weeks. His return on Sunday was well-received by rapturous Hearts fans loving every minute of the league season so far. Their team now faces St Mirren in Paisley this evening.

“Sunday was so good. I was so happy to be back,” smiled Ageu, speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News. “The atmosphere was amazing and the supporters are so important for us. I am very happy that they give us this support every day. The fans are wonderful and so good to me and my family. When I met some fans, they were so friendly in town and I like this.

“This season is possible so much because of them. The support and the passion is amazing and, as players, we feel this. It’s very important for us. It’s like the same in Brazil. When you are playing, you feel this passion and it helps you so much. Whether the team loses or wins, we can feel this passion and this support. It doesn’t matter what happens, the people always support us. When we win, then you get the atmosphere like Sunday.”

The decibel level would have gone off the scale had Ageu converted his scoring chance just four minutes after entering the field. Harry Milne and Claudio Braga combined and Braga slipped a pass to the unmarked Ageu inside the penalty area. His left-footed shot was saved by the legs of Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. “In the moment, I was thinking it might be better to touch the ball with my right leg before I shoot with my left. It was only a few seconds to decide but the next time I will be better,” said the player.

The desire to improve is something Ageu repeats in his broken but decent English. He promises to be better once fitter, sharper, and better attuned to Scottish football. He recalled the injury and how it made him feel over the last few weeks. “It was the worst for me because it was my first days here and I was very sad,” he said.

“Now I am back, I am strong and I will be better. I didn’t feel any stretch or anything, I was just tired. I feel my hamstring tight and that was the problem, not a great stretch or anything. I expect to do better. At the moment, I am thinking game-by-game, but I think this group is so good. We have so many players working hard. In six months’ time, I think we will be very good.”

Derek McInnes, the Hearts head coach, is managing a 30-man first-team squad and trying to keep everyone happy. Every victory makes it more difficult to change the starting line-up and give players game time. Ageu understands the situation and recognises he must be patient. Being the record signing guarantees nothing. He is relaxed, calm and speaks softly. The fee is nothing to do with him and he won’t allow it to cause extra pressure.

“Every player can expect a chance. I work hard and then wait for my opportunity and that’s all I can do,” he explained. “The coach told me to be calm and relax because I just returned from my injury. He gave me so much confidence and support. The coach is a very good person, he is an amazing guy. He told me to keep my head and that my injury would be better week by week. He helped me to believe and now I can play again. I will now prepare for another challenge in the next game.”

McInnes intends to use Ageu in various positions. He took up a role wide on the left after replacing Alexandros Kyziridis against Celtic. The suspicion is he is most effective in central midfield. “I like attacking and defending, so I prefer being the No.8 in the middle,” said the player. “The coach is working with me on different positions, but it’s okay. In the middle, I can be free to play. To defend or play as a winger, it’s a bit more different for me but it’s not a great challenge. It just takes a little time to adjust.”

He would happily play anywhere to be involved in a Hearts team leading the way in the league table. Ageu knows what it means to stay top and wants to make a key contribution to help his team stay there. “I hope, yes, I hope. I can only think game-by-game. I definitely made the right decision to come to Scotland. I did not need to think twice. I searched to find information on the club, the supporters and the staff. I was so happy to get this opportunity and now I am enjoying it.”