Celtic continue their pre-season preparation this weekend when they host Middlesbrough at Parkhead on Saturday afternoon.
When Middlesbrough take to the field at Celtic Park, supporters will notice a familiar name in the opposition squad – and that’s a certain Riley McGree.
Back in 2022, for all intents and purposes, McGree was on his way to Celtic when Ange Postecoglou was in charge.
However, the Australian international opted to move to the Riverside Stadium after a long, drawn-out saga involving the champions of Scotland.
Name the Celtic players who you think need a BIG pre-season? 🍀🤔
Share your thoughts, Celtic fans…👇🍀
The grass isn’t greener for Riley McGree at Middlesbrough
Back in 2022, McGree stated that one of the reasons he chose Middlesbrough over Celtic is because he wanted to play in the Premier League.
Fast forward to the present, and that hasn’t happened yet, including a few close calls.
Last season, Boro were beaten by Hull City in the final of the play-offs, and now McGree is preparing for another season in England’s second tier.
The central midfielder has been a regular for Boro since joining the club, but he hasn’t proven to be a star performer, including not scoring more than six goals or supplying more than five assists in a single campaign.
| Championship games | Goals | Assists |
| 146 | 21 | 14 |
Celtic road could have led McGree to the Premier League…
The Celtic fans hate it, but from a financial perspective, they have now been blown out of the water by not just Premier League teams, but at times Championship sides.
Not only could McGree have won trophies at Celtic, but that road could also have led him to the Premier League.
Time and time again, the Hoops have proven, albeit they don’t like it, that if you produce the goods in Glasgow, it will lead that player to the so-called best league in the world.
Matt O’Riley was a huge success at Celtic, joining around the same time as the McGree links, and he got a taste of the big time.
Either way, it will be interesting to see how McGree fares at the weekend, as Martin O’Neill’s side suffered a sore 4-1 defeat to Sporting last time out.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
