Midfielder McGregor defends Celtic’s trip to Dubai training camp

CELTIC midfielder Callum McGregor insists the benefits of their much-criticised training camp in Dubai are impossible to recreate back in Scotland.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has questioned the purpose of Celtic’s trip and whether they are complying with protocols around social-distancing.

Celtic managed to push back their home game against Hibernian 48 hours to next Monday night – against the wishes of their opponents – to facilitate their trip after going on good runs following visits to Dubai during recent winter breaks.

McGregor told the club’s official website: “The camp lets us come away into the warm climate and have intense training, and that’s the main benefit of the fitness work – it’s something you can’t replicate at home in the cold weather.

“The added benefit of the heat improves your fitness when you’re working at that intensity, it gives you a different level of fitness when you go back, and it’s pretty much impossible to recreate that back in the colder climate.

“The objective of the camp is to work as hard as we possibly can and take that into the next stretch of the season. It’s slightly different circumstances this time, but the trip and its purpose is exactly the same – we come here, we train exceptionally hard, we hit the reset button and then we go again.

“The trip has been the same for the last few years, as have the benefits of that in terms of fitness work, keeping everyone at their sharpest and getting the boys who’ve maybe not played as much football up to speed.

“We come here, we train exceptionally hard, we hit the reset button and then we go again.”

Some Hoops fans are unhappy that the trip went ahead in the wake of Celtic’s 1-0 defeat by Rangers on Saturday.