Luke McCowan will be catching his breath after a busy few days that culminated in him moving to Celtic and featuring in his first Glasgow Derby.
The 26-year-old joined the Bhoys for £1 million on deadline day despite Hibernian’s willingness to push his arrival through the door.
However, he only wanted Celtic. Speaking after coming off the bench against Rangers last weekend, the former Dundee captain admitted his debut was the ‘stuff of dreams’ as a boyhood supporter of the club.
He stated post-match: “The stuff of dreams, really; if you could tell me as a kid that I’m going to come on in a game of that magnitude, I wouldn’t have believed you.
“It’s an amazing achievement for me and my family, but more importantly, it’s three points for the team, and I can get time for recovery and stuff now; it’s amazing.”
Now, he can enjoy some time to catch up on recovery during the international break before trying to force his way into the starting line-up, something that Scott Allan believes he will need to work hard for amid competition in the Celtic engine room.
Scott Allan on Luke McCowan’s Celtic prospects
Speaking on the Scottish Football Podcast, Allan indicated it may be a ‘difficult’ task for McCowan to break into the Celtic side. However, he believes the former Ayr United man has the power to make the most of a ‘great opportunity’ in Glasgow’s east end.
He explained: “You have to look at Celtic’s strongest starting three in midfield; they’ve got real quality, and you can see that they all have that connection on the pitch.
“When you see them cutting through like they have and since the season has started, (they’ve engineered) those type of team goals, and they’ve just got a really nice balance in there, so it will be difficult, but there will be opportunities for him (McCowan) as well.
“I think it’s making the most of those opportunities. I don’t think he’s going to come in and play every week; I think maybe 16-17 games this season. He’ll have chances to take, and it’s going to be down to him, and that is difficult when you have that quality in front of you.
“Look at myself, when I came in; you do go in thinking ‘I’m good enough to be here’ and get opportunities, then you have someone like Tom Rogic who hit the form of his life. It’s very hard to displace someone like that.
“He’s a Celtic fan; it’s his dream, and the footballer in him will believe he’s good enough, but it’s when the time comes and he gets those starts. I think he’s got a lot of quality. I think it’s a great opportunity for him, but it’ll be ultimately down to him and how he performs on the pitch.”
Luke McCowan will complement Celtic’s midfield options
It is intriguing to hear Allan’s perspective in light of his own experience at Celtic, but McCowan has clearly been brought in to compete for places. There is an element of trust already building following his debut against Rangers.
Before completing his move from Dundee, the midfielder had notched three goals and six assists in seven appearances this term. Despite his unconventional path to joining the Bhoys, the Greenock-born man has earned his place in the squad via some excellent form.
Now, the gauntlet has been laid down for McCowan to force his way into Brendan Rodgers’ plans. With a lot of football to play this season, you get the impression he will get his chance somewhere along the line.
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