It will be a dark day when Callum McGregor leaves Celtic.
Right now, the Celtic skipper is still setting the standards and preparing for another season with his boyhood club as Martin O’Neill looks to guide the team to six-in-a-row.
But all of this is against the backdrop of suggestions that McGregor could leave Celtic this summer, and this caught further fire recently when the midfielder switched to the same agency representing Brendan Rodgers.
Despite that noise, it hasn’t stopped McGregor from doing an interview with CelticPlayer before the pre-season clash against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, where he explained the importance of setting the standards around the group.
The 33-year-old spoke about everyone in the green and white colours ‘holding each other accountable’ when they cross the white line, and how he is grateful that ‘almost everyone’ in camp speaks so highly of him.
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Callum McGregor talks pre-season in Portugal amid noise around his future
McGregor: “It’s been great. The facilities are brilliant. Training in the sun. Getting the work in. A lot of double sessions. Just trying to get the work into the legs and prepare for how the team wants to function and how we want to do things.”
CelticPlayer Presenter: “Almost everyone we have spoken to and interviewed over the course of this camp has mentioned you.
“They have mentioned your work rate and the standard you set here on the training pitch. How much pride do you take in the fact that you provide that focal point for the team?”
McGregor: “It’s always nice when people say nice things about you. It’s always good. That’s the job of the senior players. A lot of the time, that’s what carries us through; it’s the standards.
“I always say to the players, ‘We hold ourselves accountable for.’ There are a lot of variables in football. But the one thing we can do when we cross the white line is hold each other accountable to the highest standard that we possibly can.
“I believe if we do that enough times, then generally that’s what builds successful teams. The workrate and the application from the players have been first class. Even the young ones are coming up as well. Some really good ones in there. Getting to the level of what is required.
“All in all, it has been a positive training camp.”
McGregor proves why he is captain
Even though there is noise around McGregor’s future, he isn’t allowing it to affect him, nor is he refusing to do interviews.
Yes, last season, his quality on the pitch dropped in terms of his performances, and there were times when he simply wasn’t at his best.
But one thing that has never gone away is his ability to lead, and he showcased that in his interview with the Celtic club channel.
The day McGregor leaves, the biggest hole to fill will be his influence around the group, because nobody sets better standards than he does.
That’s why it’s paramount that O’Neill persuades McGregor to stay, because right now, the champions of Scotland aren’t ready for their captain to leave.
Celtic have got many, many things wrong in recent times. But if those high standards are to return on the pitch, then McGregor needs to still be at the club for the foreseeable future.
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