Kris Commons believes that Callum McGregor will still have a vital role to play at Celtic Park in the coming weeks behind-the-scenes.
McGregor picked up a nasty-looking facial injury at Alloa on Saturday evening in the Scottish Cup. Ange Postecoglou stated after the match that the setback was a “significant” one [Daily Record]. A definitive timeline on a return has yet to be confirmed.
However, it looks certain that the Hoops captain will miss the upcoming games against Hearts, Dundee United, and Rangers respectively. A return against Bodo/Glimt in the Europe Conference League next month also looks far too optimistic.
But Commons has stated that a big role still awaits Callum despite the gutwrenching blow. Speaking via his Scottish Daily Mail column today [print edition, 24/01, page 70], the former Celtic attacker said: “He won’t be able to lead the team out in front of 60,000 fans but his influence will still be felt at training, in the dressing room, at team meetings, and in sharing his experience with the new signings who have not yet experienced an Old Firm game.
“It’s clearly something that McGregor will wish had not happened, but it will make him an even better captain. During my time at Celtic, Scott Brown was excellent at playing his part as captain while not on the field
“Celtic did not cope very well when McGregor was out of the team earlier in the season but they are in a much better place now.”
Callum McGregor still has a big role to play at Celtic in the coming weeks
In terms of on-pitch duties, we’ll need to try and forget about the Celtic captain for a while. He isn’t going to be coming back into the fold for a substantial period if Postecoglou’s words on Saturday were anything to go by.
But that doesn’t mean he stops being the Celtic captain off the pitch. Whilst the armband will likely be given to Joe Hart during matches, Callum won’t be sitting on his couch for the next 6, 7, or 8 weeks twiddling his thumbs.
Commons is actually bang on the money here. He’ll be needed in his role as a leader. We have vital fixtures coming up at the likes of Tynecastle, Pittodrie, and Ibrox coming up over the next few months. It’ll be down to McGregor to ensure the players know exactly what they’re getting into and touch on his experience to help guide their mindsets.
A captain goes above and beyond off the park as well as on it. We still have new signings looking to adapt into Scottish football life, and Callum will be expected to lend a strong hand in that regard. In terms of mental techniques, McGregor could still be key.
Of course, he’s primarily a Celtic midfielder first and foremost. Not having him available for matches of this calibre can’t be dressed up. It’s a big blow to our ambitions, and his replacement will need to offer the same level of consistency that McGregor does.
And it all starts at Tynecastle on Wednesday night when Hearts host Celtic. It’ll be interesting to see how we cope without our captain’s on-field influence.
In other news, Irish striker lauds Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart for “changing the game massively” at Alloa
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