Barry Ferguson has hit out at what he calls an “ignorance” toward Scottish players, using Celtic’s Luke McCowan as a prime example of the quality being overlooked in domestic football.
McCowan, a boyhood Celtic fan, made his dream move to Parkhead in summer 2023, joining from Dundee in a £1 million deadline day deal. His journey from Ayr United to Dundee to Celtic has been a steady climb, but he’s proven himself at each level, now competing for minutes in Brendan Rodgers’ side and even making appearances on the Champions League stage.
Ferguson, speaking about the wider issue of Scottish talent being undervalued, said: [RecordSport]
“I love seeing the Scottish boys, whether it’s Italy or whatever, ” said Ferguson. “I think you will now start to see that, and I will go back to it. We are allowing these guys to leave our league, where there is an opportunity to get them.
“At a time, they might go to another league. But I think there is a real ignorance towards Scottish players. There are a few players who could play for Rangers and Celtic. I don’t call it snobbery, I call it ignorance.
“These guys are certainly good enough to play. You look at Celtic and Luke McCowan. He is doing really well.”
Ferguson’s comments come at a time when Scottish midfielders are enjoying a strong presence across top leagues. Scott McTominay, for example, was recently nominated for the Ballon d’Or, finishing 18th overall, a massive nod to the standard of players being produced in Scotland.
While McCowan hasn’t yet broken into the Scotland setup, Ferguson believes it’s only a matter of time if he continues to develop and impress at Celtic Park. With intense competition for midfield spots, McCowan will be determined to keep pushing and prove that homegrown players have what it takes to shine not only in the Scottish Premiership but on international and European stages too.
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