In a season that has had its ups and down, the Austrian has been a frustrated observer for much of it as the aftermath of a concussion, sustained against Aberdeen in mid-October, forced him onto the sidelines.

“At the start, I thought it’ll take maybe eight or 10 days and then I'll be back,” said the 29-year-old midfielder who will now be trying to earn himself a new deal in the summer. “Then it was like 'I'll need another week' and then ‘maybe another couple of weeks’. And that's how it went on. I was just thinking week to week, thinking I could be back next weekend, then the next. Then there was the break and I thought I'd definitely be back after the World Cup. Then I had a wee setback again. It lingered on for a long time. When you are injured you just think about how you can make the situation better. It's about what you can do and unfortunately there wasn't an awful lot I could have done differently.”

Patience became the name of the game but it wasn’t easy when there was no clearly-defined end in sight. "We had a few players here with concussion and everyone was back playing within a week or ten days and with no issues whatsoever,” continued Haring. “It's just that mine was different for whatever reason. I was unlucky.

Peter Haring made his return to the Hearts first team two weeks ago against Ross County.

"I was worried that there may be damage but we have done scans and it was all fine. I have seen specialists and been in touch with our own doctor and they have confirmed that everything is okay and that these things can happen and they've happened before in other sports. It's just a case of dealing with it.

“It was a case of feeling unwell most of the time and that lingered for a long time but now I'm looking forward and feeling good. It's been such a long time and the symptoms changed from the start to later on, but once you're back in training doing your tackling and your heading then you start to no longer think about it any more.

"I'm really excited for the last months of the season. It's the first time since I've been at the club that we have a big thing to play for after the split. Last season we had all but secured third spot and the first season was very different so I'm excited by the last five games.”

This Sunday will be a tougher test, against Celtic, but having been overhauled by a rejuvenated Aberdeen side, the chase is on to reel them back in and try to finish in the top three for a second successive season. The return of Haring to the heart of the midfield, where he has a strong understanding and partnership with Cammy Devin could be pivotal to that. As they showed against Ross County.

“Yeah, it was brilliant,” added Haring. “On a personal note, obviously, it was very enjoyable and I'm delighted [to get a first start since the away match against Fiorentina]. And to get the win with six goals, it was a good weekend.”

Peter Haring opens up on Hearts concussion nightmare - 'I was worried that there may be damage'