The arrivals of children Sebastian and Sofie may have provided natural shafts of light to soften the shadowy periods since the last World Cup.

But for a man blessed with the talent and personality of the Danish international, the tales of heartache which have gone so far as to threaten his very existence let alone his family stability lack either sense or natural justice.

From the incapacity of a post-World Cup cruciate knee injury to the recent life-affirming battle with the little-known - yet potentially fatal - Guillane Barre syndrome, the clouds which have followed Wieghorst around have refused to scatter.

Yet, in the pleasant midwinter sunshine of Orlando, Florida this week, Wieghorst received the final confirmation - if any were required - that the goodwill generated by Celtic supporters in the wake of his plight must surely outweigh the fickle forces of fate.

A specially-arranged function attended by some 200 Celtic supporters at the team's palatial hotel provided a moment which, in all likelihood, will remain with the Dane forever.

As he described the emotion of receiving a special award from the modest - yet rapturous - gathering the lump which developed in the 29-year-old's throat was unmistakable.

This was a man who clearly believes that with willpower and determination he can - and will - pull a Celtic first-team jersey over his head once more.

Months of frustration and toil lie ahead - no-one knows that better than Wieghorst himself. But then, as the thoroughly-amiable Scandinavian also points out, he is already equipped mentally to pull back from the edge following a succession of severe knee problems.

The current heavy drag of a leg owes far more to the effects of the well -catalogued brain bug which struck in the aftermath of a UEFA tie in Finland back in October.

But as he reflected on a week of sunshine rather than sorrow Stateside - allied to the refusal of teammates to spare standard dressing-room abuse - the optimistic tale told by Wieghorst was enough to dilute the hardest of hearts.

He refelected: 'I've been quite overwhelmed by the level of support I've had and to see how many people actually care for you and just want you to get better.

'On Tuesday night in Orlando, the supporters at the dinner were just another major piece in the jigsaw and they presented me with a present, which was great.

'When I was in hospital I missed just the regular stuff and being with the lads on a day-to-day basis with all the banter. You get slagged off and the lads were even slagging me off for the way I'm walking.

'I'm even enjoying that part - it's great. You are told in no uncertain terms how things are and that's so much nicer than being in an environment where you are mollycoddled.'

Yet the sensation of being wrapped up in cotton wool is nothing new for Wieghorst. In the light of his experiences since 1998, it may even be the best thing for him.

His troubles started with a red card in the World Cup Finals and then, in Jozef Venglos's first game in charge of Celtic, he caught a stud in the turf during a testimonial match for Kilmarnock defender Ray Montgomerie.

Wieghorst admits: 'Coming back from the World Cup, I was really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. We had just won the championship and I had my first game back at Rugby Park in a testimonial when I damaged the knee ligaments.

'Again, there was nothing I could have done about it. All you can do is build yourself up again.

'In many ways, it's the same situation this time around. Although it's not your usual, run-of-the-mill football injury, it's the same thing because you need to be patient and to build yourself up again to play football.'

The pictures which emerged from the Disney World of Sports complex last week of a relaxed Wieghorst juggling a ball must be viewed in the context of the long path to recovery ahead.

Yet the mere sensation of having a ball at his feet appears only to have hardened the Dane's rock-solid resolve to play again. Even if he cannot yet say when or where he will do so.

He explains: 'I was doing some keepie-uppie with the ball and I've always really enjoyed that sort of thing. But I miss kicking the ball. I miss the competitiveness - but that will come in time.

'I've enjoyed watching the training but there is no set programme for me.

'Obviously, doctors and physios do have some experience with people going through this but they've not been in the sort of situation where they've had people who compete in sport at a high level.

'I've just had to think back four weeks to when the manager asked me if I would be interested in going. I said to him that I didn't think I would be well enough to travel but, as it turned out, I was making good progress and here I am.

'I really enjoyed the last week or so - especially the weather. It's a fantastic place and it just recharges your batteries, and it came at just the right time for me.'

With a year-and-a-half remaining on his existing contract and an assurance that his wellbeing will be taken care of on compassionate grounds, Wieghorst has been granted the time and the grace he requires to rebuild a career few outsiders genuinely believed ever had a chance at Christmas time.

Strength training in the gym will take priority for now. The hard work starts later - perhaps much later.

'At first it was a shock to the system because I was very, very fit and I was just getting back into playing games and then the next minute you are struck down by some strange illness.

'I had never heard of it before but I became very weak. But now that's in the past. I'm on the mend and getting stronger.

'It's easy when you are getting better because you focus on doing that and there's not time to dwell on why things went wrong.'

A battle or two has been won - the war remains to be settled. But when Morten Wieghorst eventually does set foot once again on Celtic turf then the mother of all victory receptons will surely commence.