McGregor: Turnbull is just like me

CALLUM McGregor has welcomed Celtic’s renewed move for David Turnbull, insisting he sees a lot of himself in the Motherwell midfielder.

The Scottish champions first sought to secure the 21-year-old last summer before the deal collapsed when a medical flagged up a knee problem.

All sides are keen to keep a lid on negotiations to avoid a repeat, with manager Neil Lennon tight-lipped on the issue ahead of tonight’s Champions League qualifier with Ferencvaros at Parkhead.

Open in his admiration of Turnbull’s raw talents, however, midfielder McGregor insisted he would be a great addition to the club.

‘I think he’s been excellent,’ said the 27-year-old. ‘Obviously Celtic have been monitoring him for a while and he’s a top young player, so I think it’d be good if we could get him in.

‘It would be another face and competition for the boys as well, and that always drives the standard on.

‘His style of play is similar to myself. You want to do everything in the game and chip in with goals and assists as well.

‘So he is definitely a young, exciting talent and all the right noises are coming from everywhere.

‘Everybody likes him, he’s a good kid as well, and to get him in would be good for Celtic.’

Despite Lennon saying he doesn’t want to lose any more key players, questions remain over the Parkhead future of Tom Rogic. In the longer term, Turnbull offers a No 8 option to replace Scott Brown.

‘It is the same every year when boys come in whether they be midfielders, attackers or defenders,’ said McGregor. ‘It always helps the squad, so it will drive the standards up.

‘Celtic are always looking to get better and then you know you have to get better as well.’

Despite last season’s run to the last 32 of the Europa League giving the Parkhead side some memorable nights, McGregor maintains the Champions League is still where Celtic want to be.

‘As a footballer, you want to play at the highest level and obviously that is the Champions League,’ he said.

‘But we do know how difficult it is to get there, especially going through these four qualifying rounds. You can come up against some good teams, too.

‘But I think it is important for the club that they do get to the Champions League. It just sets up your season and makes you a better player, because you are playing against the best.

‘We want to be playing at the highest level, and that is where you learn the most as a footballer. Hopefully, you can take that forward. So the key for us is to try to get to the highest level that we can.’

Inspired by a fortnight of Champions League action from Lisbon, culminating in Bayern Munich’s triumph in the final, the Scotland international added: ‘That is the very pinnacle of club football and, seeing that game a few nights ago, it is very fresh and in the front of your mind that you want to be there.

‘So we need to put in a good enough performance to see us through, and then we’ll look at the next game.

‘We have to do everything right on the night, hopefully progress, and then we’ll see what happens from there.’