Aidan Denholm ready to add much-needed energy and zest to Hearts' midfield against Celtic

Youngster may have the ideal qualities for Parkhead

Energy and tenacity were too often conspicuous by their absence from the Hearts midfield at Aberdeen. Some previous fixtures this season highlighted similar issues. Waiting in the wings is a young man with those qualities in abundance. It might be time to unleash Aidan Denholm at Celtic Park this weekend.

Andy Halliday and Peter Haring are out of favour, Cammy Devlin and Calem Nieuwenhof are injured, although Nieuwenhof may still be able to play on Saturday whilst nursing a damaged hand. Midfield options are nonetheless reduced at Riccarton ahead of a difficult visit to the Premiership champions.

Denholm is ready and waiting for the call. In his first season of first-team football, he has amassed 10 appearances and gained a multitude of experience in high-profile games against the likes of Rangers, PAOK Salonika and Rosenborg. His learning curve is steeper than the sharp slopes of Tynecastle's four stands following last season's B team campaign.

None of Hearts' available midfielders offer the legs and industry brought by Denholm. Beni Baningime is an anchorman who relies on positional sense, whilst Jorge Grant and Alex Lowry are instinctively more attack-minded. With Celtic likely to command more of the play, the visitors will need someone who can hustle and harass opponents out of possession - and then use the ball wisely.

Denholm can only hope for that opportunity as a player who fully appreciates the team ethic. "I'm not focusing on me too much, I want to help the team get back to winning ways," he told the Edinburgh News. "Yes, I'd like to try and get back into the team. If I can start a few games or possibly come on as much as I can to help the team out, then that's what I'm here to do.

"The games aren't getting easier but we just need to look at one match at a time. We have Celtic on Saturday now, so it's all eyes on them. We need to brush ourselves down after Aberdeen and try to regroup.

"I've played 10 games this season already and I never thought that would happen last season. It's good to tick off 10 games but I want to keep going and try to get back in the side. I want another 10 and another 10 to keep adding to it.

"For me, it's good to get on the pitch and gain more experience. The game on Saturday didn't plan out how we wanted and the boys were gutted. We have to try to get back to where we were. We won four in a row recently so we need to get back to that consistency and find that momentum again."

Denholm has started only one Hearts match since August - the 1-0 win at Ross County on 30 September. "This is my first season at it so it's going to be difficult and there will be highs and lows. It's just about being patient and then trying to catch the coaches' eye in training," he said.

"I feel I've been training really well lately so it's just about being ready when you are called upon. I came on against Killie trying to get back in the swing of things, I came on again on Saturday, so it's been good to get back out there on a personal level. I want to try and help the team get three points. Obviously that didn't happen at Aberdeen so all eyes are on Saturday now."

Senior pros in the dressing room help set the correct example, although Denholm himself is the diligent type who will always go above and beyond in search of personal betterment. "This is the most I've learned in any season and we aren't even at January yet," he smiled.

"To play with the likes of Shanks [Lawrence Shankland], [Stephen] Kingsley, Frankie [Kent], all those guys, it's little things you learn. It's off the pitch as well as on - how to keep your body in the right shape to compete at the highest level. I've enjoyed every minute of it.

"I look at the team performance when I wasn't on and then when I was on. Then I can see what I could have done better or what I couldn't have done better. I just pick up little things so that, if I do come on again or I do play from the start, then if I won't make the same mistake twice."