Ryan Stevenson can't wait to be back at Hearts

Ten years ago, the midfielder was a prodigious talent within the club's youth academy under the tutelage of Peter Houston and Paul Hegarty before the lure of Chelsea and the bright lights of London proved too tempting.

He is now back where he started, and anticipating a debut in the high-octane surroundings of Celtic Park this evening.

Stevenson, 25, was close to rejoining St Johnstone from Ayr United on transfer deadline day until Jim Jefferies proposed a return to Hearts. He did not need asking twice. Experiences at Stamford Bridge, where he roomed with future England captain John Terry and mingled with Britain's equivalent of the Galacticos, left him with a hankering for top-level football which has dissipated little.

He left Chelsea in 2002 to join St Johnstone before moving to Ayr United permanently in 2007. All along he harboured ambitions to test himself on a higher plane. Jefferies wanted him at Kilmarnock last year but did not have the required funds. St Mirren, St Johnstone and Aberdeen all maintained a keen interest, but Jefferies' foresight has reunited Stevenson with his first club.

"This is a boy who was here before and was good enough to be lured away by Chelsea," explained the manager, who will deploy his new signing from the start this evening.

"When Paul Hegarty and Peter Houston were in charge of the young kids they had Ryan here. John Murray brought him to the club but at that age they get snapped up because legally they are not fully committed to any club. He moved away because the attraction of going down to play for Chelsea was a big thing for him. It didn't work out, he was homesick and joined St Johnstone.

"He went a little bit off the rails, which can happen. But I think he's settled down now. He's married and that has helped him. Sometimes people can just be late developers in football. He was younger and maybe a little immature in terms of professionalism but he's overcome that. He's a winner and he works hard.

"It was virtually guaranteed he was signing for St Johnstone last week and we managed to nick him at the last minute. When he saw how big a club this is he was keen to come.

"I've seen him two or three times, we played against him with Kilmarnock against Ayr in the Scottish Cup last year. The fact St Mirren and St Johnstone tried to get him shows they think he can play in the SPL. I know Aberdeen looked at him for a long time when Jimmy Calderwood was there.

"I wanted to bring him to Kilmarnock but he cost money I couldn't afford. At that time he still had a year and a bit to go on his contract and he was their best player. The deal to bring him here wasn't huge because he was out of contract in the summer."

Delving into Scotland's lower leagues earned Jefferies a reputation as a shrewd talent spotter during his first tenure as Hearts manager. He believes Stevenson has the potential to reinforce that thinking.

"Ryan is naturally a forward-thinking player," he continued. "He has good presence about him, he's a great striker of the ball and he's always looking to have a dig at goal. What he does well is making himself available when the ball is played forward to the strikers. I don't think he's too similar to Colin Cameron because Cameron liked to get beyond the strikers, but it's up to us to develop that.

"He gets in support of the forwards and looks for shots in and around the edge of the box. We've told him he won't get the same time on the ball in the SPL as he did in the First Division. He has to learn to move quickly."

A lengthy injury list has forced Jefferies to grant the player a start this evening when a more gradual initiation to the SPL would be preferred. The manager is keen that the new boy is accorded time to adapt to his new environment.

"It's a shame we're being forced to call upon him because I'd like to have bedded him in first by bringing him on as a sub in some games. Injuries have forced the situation so I'm looking for him to make his debut tonight.

"He's being thrown into the lion's den a little bit and he's got to handle it. Sometimes it's a good thing because he'll find out what this league is all about.

"It's important he isn't put under pressure and we need to put things into perspective regarding where he's come from. Sometimes people need five or six games to catch the pace. Once he's in there, involved in the real action tonight, that's when it will hit home."

Stevenson, a tall, athletic type, commented on the differences between life in the First Division and the SPL. "Last week I was expecting to be playing against Partick Thistle at Somerset Park tonight. Now I could be making my debut against Celtic and against Robbie Keane," he said. "He stole my moment of glory last Monday when he signed for Celtic. The next day the papers all had about four or five pages about Robbie Keane, I had to search for a little snippet of my move. I'll need to have a word with him about that...

"I've never played at Parkhead. Sometimes it's maybe a good thing to be thrown in at the deep end. You either sink or swim. I'm looking to swim but I don't think there's any pressure on me. I'll just go out and play the football I usually play. People talk about pressure being on you to do well, but there are people in this world fighting wars and things. Playing at Parkhead is a blessing."