Celtic captain Callum McGregor has recently detailed the injury troubles he endured last season, admitting that he took a monumental risk in his recovery.
The Hoops had their work cut out to win the title last term, with Rangers running them close until they fell off in the final few weeks of the campaign.
Skipper McGregor could have easily missed the run-in, but his elite mentality and pain endurance ensured he returned light years ahead of schedule to lead his team to a domestic double.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Scottish Premiership curtain raiser against Kilmarnock, the 31-year-old lifted the lid on his fitness troubles.
“To take seven weeks off a 12-week injury, people should say ‘well done'”, he said (Glasgow Times).
“For sure it could have backfired, but you have to take the risk. It was my decision.
“The worst-case scenario was probably a rupture and that would have been nine months on the sidelines. It was a ten on the pain scale.
“I felt it was more important to try and help the team. The aim was to try and shave as much time as possible off the 12 weeks, knowing that we were running out of time.”
In the end, McGregor returned to fitness seven weeks ahead of schedule. The captain made a miraculous recovery and set the perfect example of spirit and fortitude to his teammates.
After disappointment at the Euros with Scotland, the midfielder is now preparing for yet another long and arduous season with his club.
This is not a tale of heroism, this is a tale of bad planning, of an underfunded league. We cannot afford to take these risks with out assets. they are people not robots. He was lucky not brave and it should not have been a choice he had to make. He needs to take care of his body, it’s kind of important what with the nature of his career, not to mention his personal life. A big club like ours should have a squad able to be robust enough to cope with an older player needing time to recover from an inevitable injury. If we don’t stock our squad well enough to cope in his absence that is a recruitment issue NOT a CalMac character issue. #workersrights #neoliberalismisaproblem HH
This remains more of a game management issue that has been in existence within the club for years now?
As a club we still remain so reliant upon our bigger players, especially when the gap in quality between 1st and 2nd choice player’s in a position were as high as they are?
Currently we might have iwata and lawal as potential cover for calmac?
Yet would we feel comfortable for either of them starting ahead of calmac at present?
Iwata seems grand as an option in seeing games out, yet would you use him if we were chasing a winning goal in a tight match?
Lawal still finding his way within our squad at present, but some way to go before considered as an alternative option for calmac within our starting line-up?
This is where our squad depth remains so important, especially when we still haven’t been able to field our strongest 11 in any of our recent CL matches?
Personally would regard our 8 CL matches next season as bigger matches than the Glasgow Derby games imo?
So rotation can hopefully be applied to provide ourselves with the best opportunity within such matches, with keeping our bigger players just that bit fresher, for them more intense and challenging matches imo?
And also with the recovery period involved for the player’s also?
The use of the overall squad is becoming the normal now these days and we have to get an overall squad in place for ourselves, to be able to match the demands the club expects in return?
It’s never really been in place properly for ourselves imo?
Still would like to think that it will be for ourselves before the window shuts all the same?