Celtic captain Callum McGregor has given his biggest hint yet as to where his future lies.
McGregor played 64 minutes of Celtic’s second pre-season test of the summer as they fell to a 4-1 defeat to Sporting CP yesterday.
Rumours over McGregor’s future gathered pace after it emerged that the 33-year-old had joined the same agency as former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. With Rodgers now in charge of Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia, talk of a reunion quickly followed.
Any change of representation involving a player of McGregor’s standing is always going to attract attention. After 13 years in the Celtic first team and with his influence stretching well beyond the dressing room, supporters were always going to ask questions.
McGregor’s latest comments, though, point firmly towards a player focused on what comes next at Celtic.
Speaking about Martin O’Neill and his coaching staff returning last season to secure the league and cup double, and the team remaining for next season, McGregor said (via STV):
“All amazing guys who gave absolutely everything for the club and the cause last season. Especially second time round, it would have been easy to stay away, and they took that challenge.
“That tells you the type of people they are: they like a challenge, they face it head on. That’s exactly the way I am as well as a player and a person.
“So to see them back in the dugout and everybody back together (gives) that nice feeling that we can move forward and build something special.”
That final line is the one that will stand out for supporters.
McGregor spoke about moving forward and building something special, language that hardly suggests someone with one eye on the exit door. It is not confirmation that he will stay, but it is certainly the strongest public indication yet that his focus remains on Celtic.
The midfielder also made it clear that his appetite for success has not diminished, despite adding another two winners’ medals to his collection last season.
Asked about his motivation after taking his major trophy tally to 26, McGregor said:
“That’s the job of a Celtic player, that you don’t get tired of winning.
“We have set ourselves an unbelievable standard over the last 14, 15 years, being successful, winning numerous titles, trophies, trying to push all the time in European football to be as good as we can be.
“And all that does is bring bigger expectation, a bigger target on your back, so you then have to work even harder to defend it.
“The players and the core group that have been here for a long time understand that and they have to drive that level.
“As a Celtic player you can never ever be bored of winning and trying to be the best that you can be and trying to improve individually and collectively.”
Those are not the words of a player winding down or looking for one final move elsewhere. McGregor continues to speak about standards, responsibility and driving the group forward, themes that have defined his time as captain.
In April, the skipper stated that he wanted to stay, provided the club matched his ambition.
With Camilo Duran the only new signing in the door, the club don’t seem to be doing that. There is still time to bring new faces in, but there is a significant rebuild on the cards with seven weeks of the transfer window left.
There was another small detail that caught the eye this week. After supporters noticed McGregor was absent from the initial promotional footage for Celtic’s new away kit, the club later released images of the captain modelling the strip. On its own, it means very little, but it did little to dampen suggestions that he remains central to the club’s plans.
Nothing has been settled publicly and speculation is unlikely to disappear until the transfer window closes. For now, though, McGregor’s own words should encourage Celtic supporters.
Pre-season continues on Saturday when Celtic return to Glasgow to face Middlesbrough before AC Milan visit the following week. The Premiership campaign begins on Monday, 3 August, and signs currently point towards McGregor leading the side out once again.
