Marvin Bartley says Celtic have a player who is ‘virtually unplayable’ after watching him this season

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Celtic’s win over St Mirren at the weekend briefly showed the fans that there is life after Matt O’Riley.

The 3-0 victory in Paisley was Celtic’s first test without their now former talismanic midfielder and it’s fair to say that Brendan Rodgers’ side passed it with flying colours.

Goals from Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Alistair Johnston sealed all three points and it left BBC pundit Marvin Bartley purring about the Celtic captain after his early goal put the Parkhead club on easy street in Paisley.

Rodgers will be ‘delighted’ at McGregor’s Scotland retirement

The Celtic captain has certainly been enjoying an unusual goalscoring streak at the start of this season and after knocking in his second, Bartley believes that McGregor’s opponents in Scotland just can’t get near him.

Bartley told The Scottish Football Podcast, “I think he is virtually unplayable, along with the rest of his teammates, by the way, and it’s almost like the retirement from international football has given him a new lease of life.

“And he knows now when these international breaks are coming up, he’s gonna be able to fully rest. So he’s giving Celtic 100%. I don’t mean that he wasn’t given Celtic that beforehand, but he probably thought, right, when I go away with Scotland, I’ll have to play in a couple of games as well.

“So as a player, naturally, you try and hold some back, but he’s not doing that. You know, Celtic have started this season excellently well. You spoke about it there, how fast they start games, but Callum McGregor has been vital to all of that.

“And like you said, he’s chipping in with goals now. Stephen Robinson would have been very disappointed in conceding an early goal, but what an excellent finish it was by him again. You know, he did the same against Hibs.

“Another fabulous finish and no wonder Brendan Rodgers is delighted that he’s retired from the international game.”

One of Celtic’s most decorated players, McGregor has been pivotal to the Parkhead clubs’ domination of Scottish football.

With 22 domestic titles to his name, the Celtic captain will be looking to win his sixth treble of his career this season.

And if he manages to do that, McGregor will surpass Scott Brown and the legendary Billy McNeill’s tally to make him equal with Lisbon Lion, Bobby Lennox, who is on 25.