Even when the Premiership title is done and dusted, Celtic are still sending out ruthless statements.
On Wednesday night, Celtic thrashed Aberdeen 5-1 in their Premiership encounter at Pittodrie, just over a week after the duo will meet for the Scottish Cup final at Hampden on May 24.
It needs to be remembered, this was Celtic’s reserves playing against Jimmy Thelin’s men, and they were brushed aside like a relegation-threatened team.
The forgotten man, Maik Nawrocki, opened the scoring, with HyunJun Yang also adding his name to the scoresheet, including goals from Luke McCowan, youngster Johnny Kenny on his first start and substitute Adam Idah.
Ahead of the final Premiership match of the 2024/25 season, and the trophy lift at Celtic Park, Rodgers made eight changes from the win over Hibernian from the weekend.
It showcased the depth in quality that Celtic have at their disposal, and one man in the middle of the park epitomises that.
Luke McCowan has been ‘one of the signings of the season’ as Celtic beat Aberdeen
Luke McCowan was signed by Celtic from Dundee in the summer, as the 27-year-old’s dreams came true to represent his boyhood club.
But given the strength of Celtic’s midfield, including how Rodgers views Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Arne Engels as the starters, it has limited McCowan’s game time.
Kris Boyd told Sky Sports Football (14/05/25) that McCowan is ‘unlucky’ not to have been playing more because he has been ‘one of the signings of the season’.
“Luke McCowan coming in from Dundee,” said Boyd before the game. “You have got to say, he has probably been a little bit unlucky that he hasn’t had more minutes. Any time he has played, he has done really well. It shows you the strength in depth that Rodgers has got.”
Then, after the match, Boyd added: “You talk about James Forrest being underrated. I think Luke McCowan has been one of the signings of the season, as well.
“The way he has gone about his business. He has had to wait for his time.”
McCowan’s debut campaign at Celtic in numbers
You sense that if McCowan were handed more minutes, then he would probably be in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.
But what has to be applauded is the determination from the all-action midfielder, and how he is ready to put on that shirt and showcase his worth, no matter how many minutes he is given.
Over the course of the campaign, McCowan has played just over 1,000 minutes in the Premiership.
| Tournament | Apps | Mins | Goals | Assists | KeyP | MotM | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership | 13(19) | 1272 | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 2 | 6.83 |
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