Callum McGregor continues to be a model professional at Celtic and got himself on the scoresheet yesterday with a stunning strike against Hibernian.
The Bhoys are now up to two wins from two in the Scottish Premiership, cementing their place at the top of the table. League action takes a break this week as Premier Sports Cup knockout football commences.
Imperious from the start, the captain controlled the engine room and gave his teammates a platform to breach Hibernian’s defensive line on several occasions by neatly mopping up shrapnel in the six role.
Taking matters into his own hands, McGregor unleashed a stunning strike from long-range on 19 minutes to double the visitors’ advantage, leaving Josef Bursik all-ends-up in the Hibernian goalmouth.
Following his retirement from Scotland duty, the 31-year-old looks to already be reaping the benefits of making an important career decision earlier this week. Peter Grant believes his call can only benefit his exploits at Celtic.
Peter Grant on Callum McGregor
Speaking on Sportscene, Grant was quick to laud McGregor’s consistency for club and country while laying out why his decision to retire from the international scene is the right path to take at this stage in his career.
He explained: “He’s been a wonderful player for Scotland as well as Celtic. He’s just such a good player; he picks up the perfect areas, and you can see his positional play on the pitch. I don’t think he gets the credit for that.
“He’s always aware, looking over his shoulder as you can see, all good midfielders do. He takes his first touch into an area; he knows where it’s going, but what a wonderful strike and a wonderful finish.
“He’s more than capable of that; he used to score a lot more goals, Callum, but I think the role he plays in the team doesn’t allow him that much time to do that; as I say, good players know how to play, you can see all the players round about him, O’Riley and him moving about, telling each other where to go, he just comes off the game.
“I think Hibs should put more pressure on the ball, they’re too late coming out, and Callum doesn’t half punish them, but what a talented boy!
“What does he play, nearly 60 games a season? I think that’s what he’s looking at now, and that’s just for Celtic; forget Scotland; that’s just for Celtic he is playing that, so I can understand why the Scottish thing is taking a backseat.”
Full focus on Celtic for Callum McGregor
McGregor loved playing with Scotland but has shown his commitment to the Celtic cause by putting his club first at a key stage in his footballing life.
For him, leading the Bhoys to more silverware will be the only thing at the forefront of his mind. With 22 medals to his name, his hunger for trophies has never wavered as he looks to shatter more records at Parkhead.
Despite the temptation to look too far ahead, McGregor never gets too high or too low. Ultimately, he has seen most of the ecstasy and agony playing for Celtic has to offer, preparing him for any forthcoming scenario.
The new season is in its infancy; there is a long way to go before any prizes are handed out. Expect the captain to reinforce the standards needed to play for Celtic at Lennoxtown daily to ensure his colleagues are ready to create more history at Parkhead.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
