Callum McGregor

Arguably playing the best football of his career just now. A rest over the international break will have done him wonders too.

 

With the first international break of the season over, this weekend sees the return of Premiership action, as the champions prepare for their match against Hearts at Celtic Park tomorrow (Saturday).

The Hoops got off to a flawless start to the season with five wins from five matches which saw the Bhoys book their place in the League Cup quarter-final, seal a stunning 3-0 Glasgow derby win and secure top spot in the SPFL table going in to the break.

For captain Callum McGregor, who has scored three brilliant goals since the beginning of the campaign, there is yet another reason to be satisfied with how the season has started, as today (Friday), he was named as the SPFL player of the month for August.

Incredibly, despite his brilliant Celtic career so far, this is the first time that the Hoops’ skipper has won the monthly award in Scotland and speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s match, McGregor thanked his team-mates for their help in winning the award.

“There’s a first for everything,” he said. “We’re off to a great start and with all of these things, you never get there without your team-mates.

“So thank you to them as well because they’ve been so good.

“When you get some goals, and the type of goals that I’ve scored, it’s nice and it will always attract more attention.

‘It’s all about the team, how we function as a team and how we look as a unit.’

“I’m really happy and pleased with how we started the season, but we know we’re only a month in and we need to continue to keep pushing.”




Over the summer, Brendan Rodgers introduced a host of new recruits to the first-team squad, with three of those signings arriving on deadline day.

Two of the new bhoys, Luke McCowan and Arne Engels, made their Celtic debuts in the Glasgow derby and new keeper, Kasper Schmeichel has kept four clean sheets from four league games so far.

Speaking about the new recruits at today’s press conference, Callum McGregor admitted that he has been impressed by how they are all settling in so far.

“The guys have been first class since they came in,” he said. “It’s nice to see them up close and get to know how they train and the way they behave.

“They all have brilliant attitudes and there’s a huge amount of quality on the training pitch.

“It’s still early doors for them, so we just continue to try and help them in any way we can.

“When they go on the pitch, I’m sure they’ll give everything for the team, they’ll start to settle in and you’ll see what they’re all about at that point.”

In contrast to the Celts’ start to the season, Steven Naismith’s Hearts side are yet to win a game domestically and currently sit second bottom of the Scottish Premiership table.

Despite their poor start to the campaign, the Hoops’ captain says that his team are fully focused and aware of the dangers that the Edinburgh side can pose.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s match, McGregor said: “There’s no getting away from the start they’ve had, it’s not been ideal in terms of what they would have wanted, but for us, we take these games in isolation.

“Everyone raises their game to play against us, so our idea is to go and dominate the game and be as aggressive as we can.

“We know what they can do and what they can do at Celtic Park, so tomorrow we’ll give everything to the game to make sure we get a positive outcome.”

 

It was a break with a difference for club captain, Callum McGregor, though, and, for that matter, for the manager as well, as he had the availability of the skipper following the Celt’s retirement from international football.

Brendan Rodgers said of Callum McGregor being there during the break: “He did great, he had a few days away, he looks fresh – he looked amazing. He did some training and we gave him some recovery time, and hopefully he can keep his sequence of goals continuing.

‘He’s an absolutely brilliant player for us and a real leader on the pitch, so it’s nice to have him about, but most importantly, having him fresh, and now he’s ready to go for the next six games.’

“What I love about Callum is, that it’s also what this club brings you. Celtic is a culture of winning, and to be a winner there’s a process in that, and that process is training.

“And when you’re in the programme for long enough, what you’ll be is a player who is super-fit, intense and consistent - and that’s Callum McGregor.

“That all comes from being a Celtic player. Because you need the intensity to be here, you need the focus. You get that fitness.

“That is like the other Celtic boys here, the likes of Tony Ralston, Steven Welsh, James Forrest – that’s what they bring.

“And Callum, as the captain, really typifies what being a Celtic player is

 

Callum McGregor reckons Celtic are in top shape and ready to hit the ground running in the Champions League.

The Hoops skipper is looking to maintain the Parkhead side’s perfect start to the Premiership season against Hearts. And the August player of the month is convinced Celts are far better equipped to deal with Europe’s elite than 12 months ago. The champions were undercooked going in last term with several key departures and high profile injuries in the early stages of Brendan Rodgers’ second stint in charge.


A year on and the manager has his new-look squad firing on all cylinders ahead of Wednesday’s opener against Slovan Bratislava and McGregor insisted Celts are determined to make an impact. Deadline week signings Arne Engels, Auston Trusty, Luke McCowan and Alex Valle have boosted an already unbeaten squad. And McGregor said: “I think the manager’s happy with what he’s got in terms of the squad, the team are playing well, there’s good momentum, the supporters are enjoying what they’re seeing.



There are successful players at this club who have achieved a lot and then you just keep adding, you keep moving forward and keep trying to get better and push the level. I think the guys that were brought in in the summer have certainly done that, the squad’s strong and now the competition for places is hot as well and that will just keep driving the level so that’s what we want



So straight away that gives you a much better feeling around the club, around the stadium, around the training ground. When you’re winning games of football everything feels a lot better. We just have to continue to do that, that’s the bit we as players can control, what we give to the games on a Saturday and a Sunday. All that feel good factor then comes with that as well.



So the main objective for the players is to continue to push every day and we get the chance to play, give our maximum and hopefully the thing just keeps rolling from there. When the Champions League rolls around the expectation behind that comes as well. It’s a home game to start us off, everybody’s looking at that thinking can we maximise that game and then the momentum just builds and builds and builds



So for the players, obviously they’re excited but we need to be the guys with the calm heads and the coaches come up with the game plans and we try and execute them and it’ll be exactly the same for every game that we’ve got coming this month as well.”


McGregor was named player of the month for the first time in his career after blasting three sensational strikes – including a stunner in the 3-0 Old Firm win – to get Celts off to a flier on the home front. He said: “There’s a first time for everything! We’re off to a great start and with all of these things, you never get there without your team-mates.



When you get some goals, and the type of goals that I’ve scored, it’s nice and it will always attract more attention. I’m really happy and pleased with how we started the season, but we know we’re only a month in and we need to continue to keep pushing.”

McGregor wants a big performance against struggling Hearts to open up an eight-point Premiership lead on rivals Rangers and take momentum into Wednesday. He said: “The league is what gets you Champions League. If you start to neglect that then you don’t have the glamour games and you don’t have the Champions League ties and the money and everything that comes with that.



The players are under no illusion that this game on Saturday is as important if not more important in terms of where the club wants to be. There’s no getting away from the start Hearts have had, it’s not been ideal in terms of what they would have wanted, but for us, we take these games in isolation. Everyone raises their game to play against us, so our idea is to go and dominate the game and be as aggressive as we can.”

 

Collins would be in there with McStay and Lambert for me.

 

McGregor would be in ahead of McStay and Collins for me.

 

Same.

 

Genuinely can't believe he's only just got his first ever potm! That's * mental...

 

That's a crazy fact if true!

 

Agreed, McGregor is class. But Collins and Mcstay were playing at a time when we were struggling financially. Lambert was a class player too. How about a diamond formation with all four in the side?

 

That's a lot of passes. Think you've just invented inverted midfielders.

 

Superb captains performance again tonight

 

Aye he was superb and talks so well

 

He is a beautiful, wonderful fabulous human being.

 

My * captain.