Callum McGregor lauds player who left Celtic in 2018 for doing ‘very well’ in Italy

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A fair few Scottish players are making a name for themselves in Italy.

With Celtic currently in one of Europe’s most picturesque places for pre-season, Lake Como, the club captain, Callum McGregor, was discussing the success stories of those Scottish players.

The two names doing the rounds are former Aberdeen midfielder Liam Ferguson and boyhood Celtic fan Scott McTominay.

Those two players, alongside the likes of Billy Gilmour and Che Adams, have only recently made the jump across Europe and to Serie A.

A certain Celtic youth product, who came up the ranks alongside McGregor, has been there since 2018 and has made a career for himself.

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Callum McGregor namechecks Liam Henderson in Italy

Liam Henderson made his Celtic debut in 2013, playing 37 matches for the famous green and white colours.

Speaking before Celtic got smashed by Ajax in Como, McGregor was asked about the success of Scottish players in Italy.

The recently retired Scotland international then namechecked Henderson as somebody who had done ‘very well.’

“I think those guys have sort of made it a viable path,” said McGregor on Scottish players thriving in Italy. “Before them, there weren’t too many.

“We had young Liam Henderson, who was at Celtic, and he made the move across and did very well. Then these guys start to come over, and do really well.

“What’s great about that is it’s shown that the Scottish boys have really good talent, who can come and play abroad. They come, settle into the lifestyle, and learn a new language. It actually shines a real positive light on Scottish football and Scottish footballers.

“Obviously worked with them very closely at the national team level. You can see how good they are, and it’s amazing to see their impact in Serie A as well.”

What has Henderson done after leaving Celtic?

Henderson was loaned out several times during his time at Celtic Park before he made his first permanent switch to Italy when he joined Bari in Serie B in 2018.

That road eventually led him to Hellas Verona, whom he helped earn promotion to Italy’s top-tier in 2019, before he dropped down a division again when he joined Empoli on loan – that was his next permanent club.

But Empoli were relegated from Serie A last season, and now the midfielder is out of contract.