Celtic captain Callum McGregor was delighted with the performance of new signing Maik Nawrocki on Sunday afternoon, in difficult circumstances at Pittodrie.
Nawrocki was playing in his first away match since joining the Bhoys and Aberdeen made it far from easy, despite the champions coming out on top by a 3-1 margin.
The defence was also put under significant pressure coming out of the interval after Cameron Carter-Vickers was substituted off with a hamstring complaint.
Nawrocki was one of the players who stepped up and showed leadership to secure the result and McGregor reckons it’s a sign he is a great fit for this Celtic team.
The captain said [The Celtic Way]: “I thought Rocki was outstanding in the game and then the other boys came on, they were excellent as well. It’s always tough here, 20-25 minutes to go and you’ve got to come on and be part of the team, be part of the group and show your personality, show your mentality. I thought it was excellent for the three of them [including Holm and Yang].
“Everyone, Welshy coming on at half time, outstanding performance. Calmed the game down, and saw the passes. So it’s a real collective effort and it has to be every time you come here. You can never ever carry passengers. You have to have nine, 10 at it to make sure you win the game. First and foremost, that is the objective, to come here and win.”
It bodes well for the Bhoys that Nawrocki is already showing he can be reliable in a tough Premiership fixture. He’s only going to get better as he acclimatises to the pace and physicality of Scottish football, and builds up a rapport with his teammates.
With Odin Holm and Hyunjun Yang also positively contributing, Celtic’s latest intake of transfers are showing promising signs. There’s a long way to go for all of them, but it’s heartening to see them getting minutes and making an impression.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers calls for more Celtic signings.
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