Callum McGregor wasn’t named in the squad to play against Rangers in the Scottish Cup.
McGregor’s omission was a shock to everyone, especially as the Celtic captain is a regular in the side.
The last time he missed a game was also against Rangers in March 2025, when the Bhoys lost 3-2 to their Glasgow derby rivals, and the stats show that since being appointed as captain, Celtic are a much better side when McGregor is playing.
- READ MORE: Agitated Martin O’Neill explains four major Celtic changes vs Rangers for Scottish Cup clash
You can pick one Celtic player to replace Callum McGregor as captain..
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Celtic’s record with and without Callum McGregor as captain
Scott Brown handed the captain’s armband over to McGregor in 2021 and hasn’t looked out of place since.
In that time, the 32-year-old has been almost ever-present but when he isn’t playing, the Hoops clearly struggle.
Since being handed the armband, McGregor has only missed 22 games, with Celtic losing five of those, meaning that taste defeat every four games, on average
| Stats | With McGregor | Without McGregor |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 200 plus | 22 |
| Wins | 152 | 13 |
| Draws | 24 | 4 |
| Losses | 24 | 5 |
| Win percentage | 76% | 59% |
With the captain, they have lost 24, but that is over 200 plus games, working out at an average of every eight games.
Even McGregor will admit that he isn’t the best player, technically or physically, in the squad, but what he will guarantee is balance and composure to the side.
Who would replace Callum McGregor as Celtic captain?
Martin O’Neill’s decision to leave McGregor out of the side is a sign of what things will be like when the homegrown Hoops fan calls time on his career, or Celtic playing days.
Liam Scales was handed the armband for the Scottish Cup tie but most would expect Kieran Tierney to be the natural successor going forward.
Aside from those two, a worrying sign is that there are not many leaders who could take on that sort of responsibility.
Are Celtic too reliant on Callum McGregor? Let us know…
Luke McCowan was the skipper at Dundee but doesn’t play enough to warrant the armband whereas others simply haven’t shown any sort of leadership to do the job.
Celtic have been accused of relying on McGregor too much recently. Now is the time to prove that they can do it without him.
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