The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
McGregor says team spirit is key
Callum McGregor insists team spirit will help Celtic overcome their Champions League pain.
The Hoops came in for criticism when they were knocked out of the second qualifier by Hungarian side Ferencvaros at Parkhead last Wednesday.
Neil Lennon’s side, aiming for their 10th successive Premiership title this season, bounced back with a 3-0 home win over Motherwell on Sunday.
Midfielder McGregor said: “Of course, going out of the Champions League hurts. We want to be there as players and we want the club to get there, too. It was a real blow for us, being knocked out. But we can’t lose sight of things this early in the season.
“We still have a massive year and a lot of trophies to go for,” he said.
“You do get setbacks along the way. What’s important is that it galvanises the team now.
“We’ve had the criticism and it’s only us in there who can fix it. That’s what we tried to do against Motherwell. We tried to put it right a little bit.
“When we come back after the international break we’ll have more fixtures to put our teeth into.
“We’re all in it together. That’s why we’ve been so successful down the years, because we have that team spirit.
“Ultimately things are going to go wrong at some point. What’s important is how we react to that.
“Throughout the years, whenever we’ve faced adversity we’ve always come back really strongly.”
Celtic will be seeded in today’s Europa League third-round draw.
Meanwhile, teenager Scott Robertson signed a new three-year Celtic contract.
The 19-year-old midfielder made his first-team debut against Cluj in the Europa League group stage in Romania last season.
He told Celtic’s website: “I’m happy to get the chance to try and break into the first team over the next few years and hopefully show the fans what I’m about. This means over the next few years I can completely focus on playing football.”
“It means a lot. It’s good to know that people around the club like what they’re seeing and, hopefully, I can keep impressing them.”
Robertson was involved with the first team in pre-season games.
“It feels amazing to have had a chance to play in the first team,” he said.
“I know the fans aren’t here and it’s not what it’s all about but just to do that in pre-season with the first-team boys has been brilliant.
“It’s been amazing for me to train with the first-team. I get to watch guys like Callum McGregor and Olivier Ntcham day in, day out and I can learn from them every day.
“It’s important to get used to training with these sort of players. It makes you more relaxed and means you can show your stuff on the pitch.”