‘Goodness me’… Ian McCall blown away by player Celtic signed in the summer who is a complete bargain

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Celtic’s transfer business this summer seems to have been something of a stroke of genius by Brendan Rodgers.

Brendan Rodgers opened up the Celtic chequebook and spent over £30m bringing in players like Arne Engels, Adam Idah, Auston Trusty and Paulo Bernardo to strengthen the Hoops’ first team.

And whilst Rodgers broke Celtic’s transfer record twice, former Falkirk manager and now BBC pundit Ian McCall admits he’s been blown away by one of the new Bhoys who used to play for him when he was the manager of Ayr United.

What Luke McCowan does that’s ‘extreme’ as midfielder tries to ‘impress’ at Celtic

Luke McCowan was brought to Celtic from Dundee for a mere £1m fee and McCall reckons that piece of transfer business is looking a ‘snip’ for Rodgers.

McCall told the Sunday Mail [print edition page 52], “Luke is being a great team-mate just now at Celtic. When he comes into the team he’s very controlled.

“In terms of becoming a starter in Brendan’s team, he’s doing all the right things to impress.

“Some players in that situation go about it the wrong way but he’s doing it perfectly, Luke sets high standards for himself.. he can be self-analytical to the extreme.

“But, believe me, he’ll be desperate to start games for Celtic. And I’m not sure it will take that long.”

McCowan has started four games for Celtic so far this season and in every single one, the 27-year-old has either scored, assisted or been directly involved in a goal for the Parkhead club.

What Tony Docherty told Ian McCall about Luke McCowan at Dundee before big Celtic move

A boyhood Celtic fan, McCowan got his dream move to Celtic after spending years at Ayr United and then Dundee.

But it was at the South Coast club that McCall admits he should have gave McCowan more opportunities as he reveals what Tony Docherty told him about the Hoops midfielder and what he texted him on the day of his big move to Paradise.

McCall continued, “Even as a young player I never doubted Luke’s mentality. In fact if anything – he was TOO hard on himself.

“He was quite self-analytical to the extreme at times. Even when he played well he wasn’t happy. Tony Docherty has said he was like that at Dundee too. He was down on himself a lot.

“But Luke just sets incredibly high standards for himself. And you know what? It has worked out for him. He has just moved to Celtic for £1million and, goodness me, he looks like a snip.

“When he got his move I texted him to say I should actually have brought him into the Ayr team six months earlier.

“Because he had so much talent. We had him off the right and Alan Forrest off the left. But Luke’s natural talent was fabulous.”

McCowan has quickly become a Celtic fan favourite this season which is remarkable considering he has been at the club for a matter of mere months.

There is no doubt he is a valuable member of Rodgers’ first-team squad and if he continues his current rate of development, the Celtic midfielder could be on the verge of a Scotland call-up sooner rather than later.