Skipper will stroll back into our side
CALLUM McGregor has spent the last seven Celtic games deputising impressively for Scott Brown. Yet the Scotland international is in no doubt that his captain will walk back into the first team when he returns to full fitness after a knee injury.
Brown flew out to Norway with his team-mates yesterday despite Brendan Rodgers insisting that he won’t rush the 33-year-old back before he is ready.
Under no illusions that he is minding shop for the guv’nor, however, McGregor admitted: ‘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.’
Dropping back from an attacking midfield berth to a holding role, McGregor has staked a case for being Brown’s long-term successor after the team secured five wins in seven games under his command.
‘For people to even mention that after just five or six games in there, you’ve got to take that as a compliment,’ said the 25-year-old.
‘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 to go and kick on again.
‘But yes, it’s a good compliment.’
There has, he claims, been no ill-advised training-ground banter over the captain’s chances of an immediate first-team return.
‘I think he would just smash me in training if I said that... that would be me finished,’ smiled McGregor.
‘The team has been doing well, we’ve been 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 into the side, hopefully I’ll just slide forward one again and that will be great.
‘We all know now that the squad here is so important. The last twoand-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 and 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 who are fighting for positions and ultimately that is what drives the standard up.’
Celtic have yet to win an away game in the Europa League group stage in 14 attempts and McGregor sees the opportunity to stop people casting up the travelling record Rosenborg tonight.
‘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,’ he admitted.
‘We’re coming here to be positive, though. 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 out was one of our better ones but we got punished by two quick goals.
‘The important thing for us is that when you are away and you get those five or ten-minute spells when things do get rocky, you stay strong and you keep your composure.
‘It’s been a long time coming but, hopefully, we can put it right.’ against