Former Celtic captain and club icon Scott Brown has insisted the return of Callum McGregor will make a huge difference in the second half of the campaign.
Ange Postecoglou’s side has been without the midfielder since early October after he sustained an injury against RB Leipzig in Germany.
Having played a massive role during Postecoglou’s tenure, the 29-year-old was always going to be a huge miss due to his ability and leadership skills.
Thankfully, during the period of McGregor’s injury, the Bhoys managed to come through their league games unscathed, stretching their lead at the top to nine points.
Matt O’Riley filled in for McGregor in midfield, whilst Cameron Carter-Vickers was the man to take the armband in his absence.
However, the academy graduate has marked his return to full training and is set to be available for the first competitive outing after the winter break against Aberdeen.
Celtic legend and former teammate of McGregor’s, Scott Brown, has talked up the massive influence the Hoops number 42 can have on his return.
The Fleetwood Town boss insisted that his influence in the dressing room can’t be underestimated, and he expects McGregor to continue setting the high standards for this side.
He said [Daily Record]: “Trust me, you can’t underestimate the influence Callum has inside that dressing room in terms of setting standards for the rest of the group.
“He certainly won’t allow complacency to set in, and that’s one reason why Ange will be delighted to have him back at this critical stage in the season. You need to make sure you maintain those standards and focus on the next game.
“It can be a mistake to look too far ahead of yourselves. But they’ve got two cups there to be won, and they’ll want to make sure they challenge for them. Most importantly, they’ll want to win the league, and they’re obviously in a great position to do that at this point.
“But they have to push on in the second half of the campaign, and having a guy like Callum back in there to drive things from the inside will be a massive help in achieving all of that.”
The former Celtic skipper also gave his thoughts on how he believes the Bhoys will perform coming back from their winter break.
Brown stated his belief that Ange Postecoglou’s men will be ready to kick on again after putting themselves in a brilliant position 16 games into the season.
He continued: “They’re in great shape for the second half of the season. They’ve had a winter break, and they’ll enjoy a training camp in some warm weather, I’d imagine.
“From there, I’m quite sure they’ll be ready to kick on again. You can see that they are a good team with a good understanding of each other. They’ve got great energy, but that should be a given, especially at Celtic.
“But for them to be scoring the amount of goals they’re scoring and playing such entertaining football shows what they are all about. Having Callum back out there on the pitch will only make them stronger and keep those standards high.”
Brown knows first-hand how to set Celtic standards, and he set McGregor up perfectly to do the same.
After bringing his legendary Celtic career to an end, there was only one man who could replace Scott Brown as Celtic captain.
Although some supporters may have had their doubts after a disappointing campaign in 2020/21, McGregor has gone on to show exactly why he was the perfect man to replace the club’s former number eight.
Just as Brown did during his days, McGregor is the man to set the standards at Parkhead after learning from the very best.
Not only is the Hoops current captain a leader by his communication, but also his ability on the pitch to dominate and dictate games almost single-handedly.
After several months out injured, I am sure all parties are delighted to see the skipper back out there, and he is undoubtedly going to be a huge player for Celtic after the winter break.
In other news, The 3 Celtic stars set for important Portugal training camp opportunity (67hailhail.com)
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