Celtic captain Callum McGregor has talked up the “brilliant learning curve” available to Adam Montgomery after he sealed a loan move to Aberdeen on transfer deadline-day.
Montgomery is currently with the Dons until the end of the season in a temporary switch that will hopefully see him pick up some game-time. His new manager, Stephen Glass, has already handed him his debut after giving him 85 minutes away to Livingston on Saturday.
Adam won’t be available to face Celtic tonight due to the fact it will be against his parent club. However, the youngster will spend the next several months under the tutelage of experienced pros such as Scott Brown and Jonny Hayes respectively.
And McGregor believes a huge opportunity is there for Montgomery, who initially broke into the Hoops team during the first half of the campaign.
As quoted by the National, Callum said: “Monty has come in here and broken into the first team. He’s done ever so well. Through no fault of his own there are other players doing well and he’s found himself out on loan, but it’s a brilliant learning curve for him.
“I’m sure Broony will have already spoken to him in that sense and will always be trying to help him so that he sends him back with even more experience. It’s a perfect environment for him and I’m sure he’ll be listening to every word that Broony has got for him as well.”
Adam Montgomery couldn’t have asked for better loan surroundings after Celtic departure
In terms of the size of the club, Adam couldn’t have asked for a better option. The pressures on Aberdeen at the moment remains of monumental proportions. Some will say the pressure Glass is under could lead to a more toxic environment than we would like, but these next few months will be a big test of Montgomery’s character.
Not to mention the players he’ll be playing with at Pittodrie. He’ll be featuring alongside players such as Brown, Hayes, and Joe Lewis. There will also be talents such as Ross McCrorie and David Bates there who know the pressures of playing in Glasgow. To sum up, there are plenty of pros there who can help steer his development in the right direction.
Aberdeen will have top 6 aspirations this term and potentially will even have their sights set on the top 4 if they can string some result and performances together. Montgomery has a chance to be a big part of that, similar to Ryan Christie’s success at Pittodrie between 2016 and 2017.
Postecoglou has already lauded Montgomery for his performances at Parkhead in the past. He picked him out for special praise after the win against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League qualifiers, calling Adam “outstanding” [Scottish Sun].
The young left-back was handed 18 outings by Ange in the first half of the season – not a bad return considering it’s his first campaign as a proper part of the first-team squad [Transfermarkt]. Now it’s all about how he develops in the second half of the season ahead of pre-season.
One thing’s for sure, he really couldn’t have asked for a better set-up.
In other news, John Hartson’s passionate Celtic verdict; wowed by squad strength after they “bamboozled” rivals
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