Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has been full of praise for Hoops captain Callum McGregor and his impact on the side this campaign.
McGregor is one of few players currently in Ange Postecoglou’s squad, who has been with the club for several years and was appointed as new club captain in the summer, after the departure of Scott Brown.
The 28-year old has thrived in his new role, inspiring some brilliant performances from the side this season and leading by example.
Another of the leader figures in the dressing room is summer signing Joe Hart, who has been full of praise for the Scotland internationalist as he spoke out about the enjoyment of working as part of this group during the 2021/22 campaign.
“He’s been exceptional. I’ve loved working with Callum from the moment I stepped in. He made me feel welcome,” he said, speaking via Celtic TV.
“It’s easy to look at someone – I’m 34, I’ve been around – but at the end of the day, when you come into a new environment, you still need welcoming faces. You still need people to have an interest in you from a personal point of view, and I think with Callum, that’s all come really naturally to him.
“I don’t think you should take that for granted. I know for a fact from speaking to people that he had huge shoes to fill. He’s done the right thing; he hasn’t tried to fill the shoes; he’s gone about it in his own way and what he sees as right.
“His love and passion for the club are very important in that, and someone that I’ve really enjoyed working with and someone we don’t take for granted in the group.”
After playing as part of a side last season, which played out an extremely disappointing campaign, there were some doubts by sections of the support around whether McGregor would be the man to take the armband.
However, he has shown this year exactly why he is and hearing from figures such as Hart, who have played at the top level with some brilliant captains, it justifies the job he is doing as a leader within this group of players.
Long may it continue, with players like Hart and McGregor learning from one another and hopefully leading this side to many more trophies in the near future.
