Callum McGregor plots Celtic road ahead as Brendan Rodgers car Q&A gets his skipper thinking
Callum McGregor still has plenty in the tank at Celtic but the car journey up from the airport in Milan to the Hoops camp at Lake Como has got the skipper thinking about the road ahead, w rites Michael Gannon in Como
It might have been turning 32-year-old in June, or it might have just been the chance to pick the brains of his boss Brendan Rodgers for the hour journey, but the playmaker arrived in town with thoughts of the future on his mind.
Let's get one thing straight. McGregor is going nowhere any time soon.
He missed just three games all of last season and showed no signs of his sky high standards slipping.
The midfielder has also returned to pre-season looking like a Rolls Royce, running the show against Newcastle United at the weekend.
Yet McGregor knows at some point he'll reach a fork in the road but this is a guy who has built a career seeing what is coming around corners.
He said: 'We just got chatting in the car about different things. We talk about football all the time anyway.
'He was asking what I fancy doing after I finish playing, not that he was trying to retire me or anything! That's still a few years down the line.
'But I've always been involved in football, it's pretty much all I know. And I want to continue to be involved in that, whether that be coaching or managing.
'You don't quite know what's in store for you. I certainly want to stay in football. The next progression would be to do my badges and see how I like it. Then you just never know from there.
'But in terms of the chat with the manager, I think we often take things for granted.
'I was there staring the car with the gaffer on the way to the stadium and this is a guy who managed Liverpool and managed at Leicester and Celtic.
'That's invaluable information that people may never get to listen to. Even if nothing comes of it, there was a conversation that gave me an opportunity to learn.
'The conversation was one that not many people would ever get access to.
'He's got a very mentorship style, he loves helping players.
'He did that with me when we first met each other.
'It's been an amazing relationship and something that's been nurtured over time. We have a really good understanding with each other and what makes us tick is very similar.
'Over time the relationship grows and grows and I am really thankful to have someone like that in my career to try and help me as much as he can.'
McGregor will keep his foot down as a player for the foreseeable though.
He said: 'You just never know. I am going to continue to play and push my body as much as I possibly can. But at some point, that day will come.
'You want to be ready for that so you can decide what you do next.
'I think I missed three games last year. I feel good. I know what my body needs and I just keep churning out games.'
Some games hurt more than others though, and the Scottish Cup Final was a sore one for the skipper.
McGregor missed from the spot and was left in tears after losing his first ever final since he was a school kid.
It's not a feeling he is used to and not one he wants to get used to.
He said: 'I think everyone now knows, if they didn't know before, just how much it means to me.
'With the position you're in, you take the pressure, you take the responsibility. And it goes all the way through your life. 'You can't just switch it off.
'So it's a big pressure, but it's something I like and it's something I've thrived under and been successful more often than not.
'But when you have a sore one, it's a reminder of how you need to keep pushing, keep learning and keep getting better.
'And you hopefully minimise those down days.
'With someone like the manager, when something like that happens, you feel like you've let him down.
'You also feel like you've let the team, down and the you've let the club down.
'Like I say, you hold that responsibility so you can't just switch it off. You feel responsible in the good days and you feel responsible in the bad days as well.
'That's something I'm quite proud of, that I take so much pride in what I'm doing.'
McGregor hit the beach after Hampden but it was family rallying round that eventually helped him off of his gloom.
He said: 'You don't start enjoying your holiday, probably, until a couple of weeks after it.
'My family and the people close to me, they are there to support me in those times. They love you unconditionally of course, no matter what happens in the football pitch.
'Having their support in the immediate aftermath was very important because they're the ones who pick you back up and level you off.
'You're as low as can be, really.
'It's my whole life, it's my profession. It's what I pride myself on. So when you have a bad day you can't help but carry it with you for days and days and days.
'I think people think that we're robots.
'But we're not robots, we're human beings. And I think if anybody didn't know how much this club means to me before, then they probably do now.
'You can't turn the tap on and off. It's a 24 hour thing that you live with every single day.
'And my job is to make this club successful. So when that doesn't happen you feel responsible.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
33 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Ex-Celtic striker 'will' join La Liga club in cut-price deal
The 27-year-old forward is expected to join Girona from English Premier League club Crystal Palace in a €6 million transfer. Edouard, who is entering the final year of his contract with Palace, has made 103 appearances for the club since his transfer from Celtic four years ago. Read more: Last season, he was loaned to Leicester City, but only made six appearances. This summer, Footmercato reports that he will make a permanent move to Girona. His transfer coincides with the move of Arnau Martinez, Girona's young Spanish defender, in the opposite direction, although these are separate transactions. Earlier in the summer, Edouard was loosely linked with a return to Celtic, but this was quickly dismissed by Brendan Rodgers. Rodgers said: "I'm not worried so much about a big name. "It's about the collective of the team. "Big names don't always give you want you need. "This team needs hunger, goals and work rate and intensity. "Big names don't always give you that. "It's about big players. "I just want players who are hungry to learn but also ready now. "There are lots of players linked with us. "Odsonne hasn't been on my radar, to be fair. "I obviously know him, but it's about a player who will fit into the structure of the team."
The National
38 minutes ago
- The National
Odsonne Edouard to 'arrive' in Spain ahead of €6m transfer
The frontman is entering the final year of his contract at English Premier League outfit Crystal Palace. Edouard has played 103 times for the Selhurst Park club since joining them from Celtic four years ago. He spent last season on loan at Leicester City, although he ultimately made just six appearances in a less-than-productive spell. Read more: Now, the 27-year-old is on the move again this summer, and according to a report from footmercato, he will join Girona from Palace in a permanent deal worth €6m. He is expected to arrive in Spain to seal the move. The deal comes as Arnau Martinez, Girona's young Spanish defender, moves the other way, although this is not a swap, and rather two separate transactions. Loosely linked with a return to Celtic earlier this summer, Brendan Rodgers soon quashed any hopes fans might have of Edouard coming back. He said: "I'm not worried so much about a big name. It's about the collective of the team. "Big names don't always give you want you need. This team needs hunger, goals and work rate and intensity. "Big names don't always give you that. It's about big players. "I just want players who are hungry to learn but also ready now. There are lots of players linked with us. "Odsonne hasn't been on my radar, to be fair. I obviously know him, but it's about a player who will fit into the structure of the team."
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Brendan Rodgers faces £11m Celtic decision as rookie earns rare start in predicted XI vs St Mirren
Brendan Rodgers faces £11m Celtic decision as rookie earns rare start in predicted XI vs St Mirren The real stuff finally gets underway this weekend and Brendan Rodgers faces a couple of dilemmas Celtic are targeting five-in-a-row (Image: SNS Group) Brendan Rodgers might be short of firepower. But the Celtic boss still faces one or two selection headaches further back the park. The champions begin their quest for five-in-a-row and a record-breaking 56th top-flight title on Sunday at home to St Mirren. Paul McStay - one of the greatest Celts of all-time - will make a special appearance before kick-off as he unfurls the league flag. The Maestro would walk into any Hoops team and Rodgers even admitted: "Paul McStay would probably play in two positions for me. He was amazing. "When the club spoke to me and told me that there was the possibility of him coming to do the flag day, I went into my boy mode again and… what an amazing icon of the club he is. Article continues below "He was such an icon at such a tough time for Celtic as well, I can't speak highly enough of him as a player, and obviously, the humility he has." Like one-club man McStay, Callum McGregor has dedicated his career to the Hoops and remains the first name on the team sheet - even at 32. But who partners the skipper in midfield is up for debate. Rodgers is spoilt for choice, with Reo Hatate, Arne Engels, Benji Nygren, Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo all battling it out. Celtic's Arne Engels New Bhoy Nygren has hit the ground running in pre-season and already looks like a Matt O'Riley 2.0. The Super Swede has slotted in on the right of a midfield three, with Hatate occupying the other side. It's a dynamic engine room that has clicked over the summer and that could see £11million man Arne Engels benched for flag day. The Belgian marked his debut season with 23 goal contributions but faces tough competition - with prolific Nygren likely to be given the nod. At the back, Cameron Carter-Vickers still looks short on fitness after a minor summer knee op. The USA international has been a rock at Celtic's defence but injuries have taken their toll in recent seasons. Rodgers is expected to manage his game time carefully, which could open the door for academy graduate Dane Murray to step in. The 22-year-old has impressed behind the scenes and the manager insists he'll have a part to play this term. Up top, this could be a defining campaign for £9m man Adam Idah as he bids to nail down the No.9 shirt. Shin Yamada offers raw pace and unpredictability, but the Japan cap is still settling in. Out wide, Player of the Year Daizen Maeda will be unleashed in his preferred left-sided role. And on the opposite flank, fringe man Yang looks set to start as the hunt for Nicolas Kuhn's successor drags on. Predicted Celtic XI How Celtic could line up against St Mirren Schmeichel; Johnston, Murray, Trusty, Tierney; McGregor, Hatate, Nygren; Yang, Idah, Maeda. Provisional Celtic squad Goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel Viljami Sinisalo Ross Doohan Defenders Alistair Johnston Anthony Ralston Cameron Carter-Vickers Dane Murray Liam Scales Auston Trusty Hayato Inamura Kieran Tierney Midfielders Callum McGregor Reo Hatate Ben Nygren Luke McCowan Arne Engels Paulo Bernardo Attackers Adam Idah Shin Yamada Daizen Maeda James Forrest Yang Marco Tilio Johnny Kenny Callum Osmand Article continues below Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
