High-flying English Championship star lauds Celtic pair Callum McGregor and Tom Rogic

By David Walton

March 9, 2022

Bournemouth attacker and former Celtic star Ryan Christie has lauded former teammates Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor and hopes in time they’ll go down as legends.

Christie played regularly with the Hoops duo between 2018 and 2021 and managed to fire the club towards 9-in-a-row success. And whilst Christie departed for England’s second-tier in the summer, Rogic and McGregor continue to battle on in our quest to wrestle the title back from Rangers at the first attempt.

McGregor came through the Celtic youth ranks to become club captain, whilst Rogic has been with the club since 2013.

Both are considered big players for the Hoops, but Christie hopes that time they’ll be viewed as legends as he lauded their impact. As quoted by Football Scotland, Christie said: “Callum McGregor, it’s nice this season that he’s getting a bit more recognition which probably comes with the captain’s armband, he fully deserves it. From the time I joined, his attitude and what he brings, you saw Broony and the way he led but you saw the natural order of it and how Callum was the next in line. He was superb the whole time I was playing there

“Then big Tom Rogic is probably stepping into the limelight again. He’s had some hard times, some dips and injuries but some of the stuff he’d do in training I’d think he was so underappreciated.

“You hope in these years to come these kind of guys can go down as legends of the club because when you look at what they’ve brought, it’s impressive.”

Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor have burst back into life at Celtic this season

There’s no denying that both Rogic and McGregor have both, in a way, been brought back to life by Postecoglou this season. Callum has moved to a number 8 role, whilst Rogic has clearly gained more strength – something his Hoops career was crying out for.

Both are more improved players for the changes they’ve gone through under the manager. They’ve both played key roles in ensuring Celtic toppled Rangers at the top of the Premiership. Even if the job isn’t complete yet, the progress has been remarkable.

Perhaps Callum more so given he was struggling badly last season under Neil Lennon. He’s gone from passive, abject performances to a real on-field leader whose determination and energy levels are unmatched in Scotland. The transformation in him as an individual is pretty remarkable.

As for Rogic, there is still an inconsistency there, but you can’t say he hasn’t improved in several aspects. For a start, he hasn’t picked up any serious injuries this season. He’s also able to play nearly 90 minutes on plastic pitches and his body can certainly deal with a lot more than it was able to in the past.

Tom sits at 262 appearances for Celtic with 16 winner’s medals to his name [Transfermarkt]. Callum, meanwhile, boasts 367 appearances and the same number of winner’s medals.

When both men hang up the boots, will they be remembered as Celtic legends? It’s always difficult to say for certain, but they’re certainly on their way with the record they currently hold at Parkhead.

In other news, 2021 Celtic-linked Jed Wallace bossing it with Millwall; pre-contract opportunity available