Celtic left-back Greg Taylor has insisted it is a massive boost for the Hoops to welcome back Callum McGregor, as he labelled the captain ‘irreplaceable’.
Saturday’s game against Aberdeen marked the Bhoys’ return to competitive action after a long-month break due to the World Cup.
There was also a significant return to Ange Postecoglou’s side, as Callum McGregor made his first start since early October.
It was quite the return for the Celtic captain, who played the entire 90 minutes and scored the winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Aberdeen.
Although Celtic picked up maximum points on the domestic front whilst the 29-year-old was out injured, Saturday’s game showed exactly why he was missed.
Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the win at Pittodrie, Celtic left-back Greg Taylor was full of praise for his Hoops and Scotland teammate, labelling his skipper ‘irreplaceable’.
The defender gave a brief insight into McGregor’s frustration during his time out and insisted he makes the entire squad better when playing alongside them.
He said [The Scotsman]: “It is massive to have the captain back and to get the winning goal, and the man of the match award on his first game after injury is not a bad return.
“Fair play to Cal, he’s worked ever so hard on his rehab, and he’s come back the same way he started the season. It’s brilliant to have him back. Hopefully, he can stay fit for the rest of the season.
“It’s not easy to come back after 10 weeks out. A guy like Cal thrives on playing football, and he regularly plays 50 or 60 games a season. You know how hard he would find being on the sidelines and looking on.
“It’s important to realise the boys who played when he was out put in such a massive shift because Cal is irreplaceable for us. It was unbelievable from them but today was about Cal and the team, and he was superb.
“He makes everyone around him better, and that’s an unbelievable quality for an individual to have in a team game. It’s such a vital time in the season for him to come back.
“Every game is so important, but you know, around this period of time, there are so many games, and we wanted to put on a strong performance for the fans who travelled up to Aberdeen and cheered us from minute one to 90.
“It was good for them to go home having seen a win.”
McGregor return comes at the ideal time as Celtic get set for crucial fixture run.
As mentioned, Callum McGregor’s performance on Saturday showcased how important a player he is for this side, and Greg Taylor’s comments back up that point.
After missing two months of action, the midfielder slotted straight back into the starting lineup and put in a man-of-the-match performance at Pittodrie.
The Celtic captain’s return couldn’t really come at a better time for Ange Postecoglou, with the Hoops preparing for a crucial run of fixtures.
In the next four games, we arguably face two of our toughest away trips in the Scottish Premiership, taking on Hibernian and Rangers at Easter Road and Ibrox.
And having a player like McGregor back in perfect time for these up-and-coming fixtures will only help the Bhoys as they look to continue their brilliant start to the Scottish Premiership season.
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