I’ll be happy to step aside when Broony makes a comeback.. if I didn’t he’d finish me on training
McGregor may have to make way for his captain but Celts’ go-to guy is ready for any role he’s given
CALLUM McGREGOR insists he’ll be happy to step aside if Scott Brown is ready to return to his familiar anchorman role.
The Celtic playmaker reckons it might be safer as well.
McGregor has been superb since slotting into Brown’s deep line quarterback role in the month the skipper has spent on the sidelines.
But he admitted it would only end one way if he dared to tell his captain to forget about coming back.
Brown is back in training and travelled to Norway for Rosenborg tonight but McGregor joked: “I think he would just smash me in training if I said that! That would be me finished.
“Of course I expect Broony to come back in. He’s been a massive player for us and he has been for a number of years for Celtic.
“You can see how important he’s been since the gaffer came in. He seems to be that real base for the team to allow us to come and play. When he comes back you fully expect him to go back in and have the same impact he’s had for eight or nine years at Celtic.”
It’s a measure of McGregor’s performances in the position that there’s been talk about Brown not being able to walk back into the side.
The 25-year-old has even made the job his own for the Scotland side with two stunning displays anchoring the national team in the wins against Albania and Israel.
McGregor admitted the praise has been flattering – and he won’t take the hump if he’s shifted back in to his usual more advanced position.
He said: “For people to even mention that after just five or six games in there, you’ve got to take that as a compliment.
“I just need to try to take the confidence from that to keep playing well, so that even when Broony does come back in you keep that same confidence level.
“The team has been doing well, scoring a lot of goals and playing good football. Whatever the manager decides to do, that’s completely up to him.
“When Broony comes back in hopefully I’ll just slide forward one again and that will be great.
“We all know now that the squad is so important. In the last two-and-a half years the manager has been big on everyone in the squad playing a part and I think that’s why we’ve been so successful.
“It’s not a case of not being in one week that’s you out and you aren’t getting back in.
“That’s been the real strength of the group. We have so many players fighting for positions and ultimately that drives the standard up.
“With Ryan Christie coming in and
doing so well, that has added to the mix of five midfield players who could all play. “With everybody back and everybody on form it’s a good headache for the manager to have.” McGregor admitted he didn’t see himself as a holding midfielder when he first burst into the Hoops side as a nippy winger. But he’s added so much to his game that he has become one of Brendan Rodgers’s go-to guys no matter who is available. McGregor said: “I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve always said that it’s something different and I want to learn as many different positions as I can. “It’s not something I would have thought about when I was breaking into the side and playing out wide. “I thought if I got more central it would probably suit me and over the years I’ve got deeper and deeper. “I’ll end up at centre-half or in goal at this rate! I’ve said it a million times though, I’ll play anywhere for this club.” McGregor is ready for whatever role he’s handed in Trondheim tonight. All that matters is getting the win Celtic need to keep their Europa League dream alive. The Parkhead men will need to achieve something they’ve never done better – win away in the group stages of the competition. Celtic have failed to find a victory in 14 trips in the Europa League but midfielder McGregor reckons there’s no time like the present to rip up the record books. He said: “It has to change eventually and this is a good opportunity for us. I hadn’t realised that stat but it just shows how hard it is to come away from home in Europe.
“But we’re coming here to be positive. Our away record in the Champions League was talked about last year and we managed to do it.
“There have been some good performances away from home, even Leipzig last time was one of our better ones but we got punished by two quick goals.
“The important thing for us is when you’re away and you get those five or 10-minute spells when things do get rocky you stay strong and keep your composure.
“It’s been a long time coming but hopefully we can put it right.
“Coming here does feel familiar having been here so many times in recent years. It helps when you’ve had positive results as well.
“We know if we ’re at it and the game plan is right then we can do it again.”