Celtic defender John Kennedy revealed his "spirits are high" after making his return to competitive action for the first time in two-and-a-half years.
Speaking after appearing for 16 minutes against Motherwell reserves on Tuesday, Kennedy said he was relieved.
The 23-year-old has undergone four operations on his left knee after it was shattered during his Scotland debut against Romania in March 2004.
"It is still a bit away before I am in the first team," Kennedy said.
"But that is the final goal."
The defender said he would not be getting carried away after appearing in his side's 2-0 win at Fir Park.
"It has been a long road, but I am here at the end of the day and I am delighted"
"If all goes well with the reserve matches, you never know. But I am just setting myself small targets for now," Kennedy said.
"It has been a long road, but I am here at the end of the day and I am delighted.
"My spirits are high and the knee is great. I have had no problems at all.
"It has been a tough two-and-a-half years and there have been times I have been set back a fair bit and there have been times when things are going great."
Kennedy last featured for Celtic in their 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox in March 2004.