Brendan Rodgers has waxed lyrical about the impact of Callum McGregor in the Celtic midfield over the last few matches, in the wake of his dominating display against Hearts on Saturday.
The 25-year-old, who came through the club’s academy system, was absolutely tremendous in the 5-0 win over Craig Levein’s outfit, looking every bit the complete midfielder that can take the reins from the ageing Scott Brown.
Rodgers couldn’t say enough good things about him after the match, claiming he has a ‘dream of a touch’.
As quoted by The Daily Record, the Celtic boss said:
He controls the tempo of the game. He is a boy that takes the ball, so clever in his movements and we ask him to go into certain area of the pitch to offer support.
He has a dream of a touch which allows him to go forward. His feet are nice and soft, he doesn’t playing backwards so much and he has a great range of passes and he has the personality now to play those passes, not just one that is secure to keep the ball, he can break a line with a pass and open up and split up the game for us.
He has been absolutely exceptional in that role but I say that everywhere he plays.
While McGregor’s versatility is one of his key strengths in the Celtic squad, it would be great for him to specialise in the central midfield area over the coming weeks and months, with options looking light after injuries to Scott Brown and Olivier Ntcham.
His Hoops career has been a slow burn and he might not be the most fashionable of performers, but in today’s market, you could argue that the Scotland international should already be valued beyond the £10m mark, given his technical ability, versatility and determination.
He’s not even at his peak either, which makes the next few years of his career especially exciting, even more so when you consider he seems as committed to the Celtic cause as anyone else in the squad.
Here’s to more performances like Saturday’s.