Jim Duffy says there is an ‘inspirational’ player at Celtic who is a ‘victim of his own success’ 

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The trophies are stacking up for Celtic at an alarming rate.

You have to be blessed to be a Celtic fan right now, because these times, and what is being produced, isn’t normal.

Before a ball is kicked at the start of the campaign, it’s the expectation for fans to think that a Treble should be won.

This isn’t because the Celtic Park faithful are ungrateful or thinking well above their station, but what the players have produced year in and year out for nearly two decades now is making supporters think in such a way.

This is domination never seen before in Scotland, as Brendan Rodgers could deliver yet another Treble following his return to the club in 2023.

Rodgers is the brains behind it all, from the dugout, but out on the pitch, he has one man who has seen and helped orchestrate it all. 

• READ MORE: John Hartson says what’s being said about Celtic midfielder is what Martin O’Neill would say about Henrik Larsson

Callum McGregor is a ‘victim of his own success’ at Celtic

Celtic are blessed to have Callum McGregor as captain, the heart of the side, and one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Jim Duffy gave the 31-year-old his flowers and stated that he is a ‘victim of his own success’ because of how ‘consistent’ he is, as he told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard. 

As was proven when McGregor was absent for the Glasgow derby last time out, his importance to the side is unmatched, and as Duffy pointed out, people take him for ‘granted’.

“It’s a backhanded compliment to McGregor that he does go under the radar,” said Duffy.

“He is a victim of his own success. He is that consistent and that good that when he has a little off game. I am talking about a little tweak of a game where he doesn’t quite go for him, or Celtic have a poor performance. Like up at St Johnstone a few weeks ago and stuff like that.

“Everyone looks at Callum McGregor. When he is missing the odd game. Was it the Rangers game? Brendan Rodgers even referred to it, so he is that important. Such an important cog in that Celtic wheel that he does, sometimes, get taken for granted.

“I think that’s the difficulty. I think his quality can’t be underestimated. His consistency of, not just being available for selection, but his performance levels.

“He sets such a high standard. He sets the bar for Celtic. He is the beating heart. He is the driving force. He is someone who leads by example. An inspirational player on the pitch. He knows what it means. The standards that Celtic set and he sets that himself.”

McGregor’s stats for Celtic this season

Given the versatility of Celtic’s midfield, it has allowed Rodgers to rotate his trio a lot more, be more fluid and push McGregor further up at times.

As a result, the Celtic skipper is producing the best goalscoring season of his career, with ten strikes in total to his name.

Added to that, WhoScored have rated McGregor’s Premiership performances at 7.28, including under seven for the Champions League.