Frank McAvennie’s brutal verdict of Callum McGregor at Celtic, with Scott Brown message

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Callum McGregor is on course to win another Treble with Celtic as he etches his name deep into the club’s legendary books.

Celtic beat Kilmarnock 2-1 on Saturday in the Scottish Cup, just over a month after beating Rangers in the League Cup final, added to the fact that the lead at the top of the table is 13 points.

From Brendan Rodgers to Ange Postecoglou, the man with the armband has dominated proceedings for his boyhood club, no matter who is the manager, and has the trophies to show for it.

But, since the turn of the year, Celtic have had a few iffy performances and results, including that Ibrox horror show and drawing 3-3 at Dundee.

There has been a theme emerging that has frustrated Frank McAvennie and he thinks something needs to be done about it via the transfer market.

He wasn’t all too complimentary about McGregor whilst saying it and it’s comments that will divide the fans.

Frank McAvennie says Celtic haven’t replaced Scott Brown

Scott Brown was an incredible servant for Celtic and he was the master at winding up the opposition, but McAvennie feels he hasn’t been replaced since departing the club in 2021.

McAvennie explained how McGregor can’t play the number six role and the team has been getting ‘bullied’ of late in the middle of the park.

In a rather brutal and unfair assessment of the Celtic skipper, McAvennie stated that McGregor ‘can’t stop games’. nor control matches and feels ‘he can’t put a foot in where people wouldn’t normally’, as he told PLZ Soccer.

“We don’t have anyone in midfield, Rangers did it at Ibrox and just bullied them and Dundee bullied them in the midfield,” said McAvennie.

“No other way. We are better players than them, but they got right in their faces and wouldn’t let them play. Bullying them and just knocking people about. We don’t have anyone to match that. Callum is going too deep for me. Brendan is a top manager and a top guy. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We get bullied. There was nobody in midfield. Brendan knows better than me and I am not a manager. Neil Lennon and Scott Brown. We haven’t replaced that. Callum McGregor is a good player, but he isn’t Scott Brown and he is no Neil Lennon. He can’t stop games. He can’t put a foot in where people wouldn’t normally. You need somebody in there to stop. We get run over if we don’t. I would like to see a good number six coming in, that could control the game.”

Callum McGregor’s stats for Celtic this season

Yes, it would be ideal if Celtic dipped into the transfer market and brought in another defensive brain to help out McGregor.

But it’s unfair to state that he can’t stop or control matches from deep when he has been doing it for a very long time. He is probably the only one who can do it at the club right now.

Yes, recent performances have been off-colour, but it’s just a small sample and the need for a number six is to think about the future, to plan ahead, not replace McGregor because he isn’t good enough.

Either way, WhoScored have rated the 31-year-old’s performances in the Premiership at 7.30 and just under seven in the Champions League this season.