TOMMY’S DOUBLE
Rodgers says McGregor is just like his hero Burns – and German star Lahm
IT’S not bad when the gaffer calls you Celtic’s version of Philipp Lahm but it was the comparison to another versatile left footer that was the ultimate compliment for Callum McGregor.
Parkhead boss Brendan Rodgers can see shades of the German legend in the midfielder but there’s also a resemblance of someone closer to home – and closer to heart.
Rodgers reckons McGregor is becoming more and more like his hero Tommy Burns every day.
Left sided, can play a variety or roles in defence or midfield and a player who has come through the ranks and has the potential to build a lifelong career at Celtic Park.
Burns – who tragically passed away 10 years ago next month – was the original and the club legend played a huge role in bringing McGregor through the youth ranks all the way to the first team where he is now following in the great man’s footsteps.
Rodgers said: “Callum is Tommy’s type, of that mould. That’s why they had a close association when Tommy was here and alive.
“Yeah, he’s a player who can have real longevity here. If you know football, you know he’s a top player.
“He can dictate a game, he has courage to play and he plays with a technical simplicity. You see players who need 55 touches but his game is simple.
“His view of the whole pitch is what stands out. That’s when you know you have a very good player because he senses what is going on in the game.”
Rodgers has raved about McGregor since day one and while it might have taken the punters a little longer to get on board, they are now seeing what the manager has said all along.
McGregor is one of the first names on the teamsheet for big games and proved his worth again with a sensational goal-scoring display in the Scottish Cup stroll against Rangers last week.
Rodgers reckons his man should be a Player of the Year candidate and said: “He has matured well from when I came in. We did a number of workshops in the summer and part of that is to help leadership qualities.
“Some of the players had to present in front of their peers – which is never easy. But he was one of the guys who did that and Callum spoke with a great level of intelligence and simplicity. He got a round of applause when he finished. It was part of his growth.
“He knows the game, he calls the game and he’s a clever boy.
“I have huge trust in him. He’s like a version of Lahm in that he can play in a variety of positions and has this inbuilt ability and brain for football.
“He’s an absolutely brilliant young player and he’s only going to get better. His ability to play simple football is amazing – there’s not many like him. It’s a joy to see him develop, grow and do that on the international stage as well.”
Down-to-earth McGregor is not a man to blow his own trumpet but it’s nice to have the gaffer on side.
He said: “You want to get the trust of your manager. For him to put you into the big games, to show that he trusts you to play well and get goals to help the team win, you take a massive amount of confidence from that. You just want that to continue, keep working hard and trying to get better and better.”
McGregor’s a big-game player and his goal last weekend has earned him a unique status in Scotland as the only man to have notched in five competitions.
The Scottish Cup was the last box to tick after goals against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Zenit in the Europa to go with strikes in the Premiership and League Cup.
McGregor said: “I saw that stat after Sunday’s game. It’s a good achievement, it’s all over different levels of competition.”
And he admitted last weekend was pretty much perfect as Celts pummelled their old foes.
He said: “It felt great. Pretty much after the game settled down after five minutes you could see the pattern. We were in control and they weren’t pressing us as much as they’d done at Ibrox. It was a comfortable performance.”
Hibs boss Neil Lennon is out to trip up his old club as they look to win the title today but McGregor admits he owes his former gaffer a lot.
He said: “I’ve definitely got to be grateful to Neil for giving me the chance to play at Notts County on loan. Perhaps I wasn’t ready four or five years ago but I went away, grew up a bit and came back a better player. I came back to Celtic with belief.”