Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has delivered an extremely promising update on the status of Callum McGregor for Rangers.
McGregor has been sidelined since picking up a facial injury against Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Cup over a fortnight ago. At the time, Ange ruled it a “significant” blow [The Scotsman].
That looked as though it ruled him out of tomorrow night’s Glasgow derby against Rangers. However, after being in attendance for the last 2 matches against Hearts and Dundee United, hope has been growing that Ange could throw him in out of nowhere.
And today, Postecoglou has certainly lifted the excitement levels as he gave a promising update on where McGregor’s status is currently at.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports News today [01/02, 1:36pm], Ange said: “We’ll see, he has a chance. If you ask Callum, he wants to play. But also he wants to be at his best when he plays. We’ll see how it goes. We’re really pleased with his recovery and where he’s at at the moment. I’ll have a discussion with him tomorrow and go over it with him. If he feels okay then we’ll include him, but if not there’s another game at the weekend.
“I think it’s more about him and the kind of person he is that he’s a senior player and the captain of our club. It’s not about giving him more time, it’s about giving him some more responsibility. I know the kind of character he is. If he puts his hand up to play then he can perform at his best. And if he can perform at his best then he’ll be very important to us.
Ange Postecoglou update will whip up Celtic supporter excitement
Well things have certainly just gotten interesting.
Had you asked us 24 hours ago, or even 1 hour ago, we would’ve all thought our midfield was tomorrow was certain. That it was going to be Matt O’Riley and James McCarthy in the engine room against the Ibrox side.
However, with McGregor potentially back, that’s a major boost for the Hoops looking ahead to tomorrow night. All of a sudden, Celtic could be able to start CalMac against the Ibrox side. The difference that would make to our midfield energy would be substantial.
At the very latest, Ange seems to hint that McGregor would return against Motherwell at Fir Park. Either way, it’s great we’re not looking at missing our captain for the long haul.
There is a hint of urgency about McGregor’s recovery of course. If we were at home to St Mirren tomorrow, for example, would Ange even consider giving Callum a game? Most likely not, but needs must, and he can certainly be the difference between success and failure on the night.
It’s going to be an electric night at Celtic Park tomorrow, and if Callum is included in the starting line-up, the atmosphere will be even more staggering.
In other news, Celtic midfielder Kerr McInroy explains why he simply had to join Ayr United last night
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