Chris Sutton has waxed lyrical about Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor after his individual performance against Russian side Zenit St Petersburg.
The attacking midfielder starred on Thursday night as the Scottish giants won 1-0 at home in the first leg of a Europa League Round of 32 clash.
McGregor scored the only goal of the game in the 78th minute with a powerfully drive shot inside the penalty area that cannoned in off the crossbar.
Brendan Rodgers’ side hold a slight advantage over Zenit ahead of the return leg, which is in Russia next Thursday.
The Bhoys first have a league game with St Johnstone to negotiate on Sunday and will be keen to keep up momentum.
Pundit Sutton has decided to single out McGregor for praise and feels he was “outstanding” in the win over Zenit.
There were question marks from fans over whether the 24-year-old should start the game, but Rodgers got it right and helped mastermind a famous win.
“Callum McGregor’s call-up at the expense of Musonda was another decision which proved spot on,’” Sutton wrote in the Daily Record.
“The Scotland man was simply outstanding and capped his performance with a magical goal. It was a finish full of composure and class and capped a show where he shone.”
OPINION
Thursday night was a real coming of age for McGregor in a Celtic shirt and he proved why he can be a mainstay in Rodgers’ XI alongside several of his teammates. The creative playmaker has made 39 appearances across all competitions this seasons scoring eight goals and supplying eight assists. He just needs to find a good consistency in his game to try help match the levels he showed against Zenit. Celtic have a minor advantage going into the return leg in Russia and an away goal could turn out to be enough to see them through. Rodgers should look to rest some key players at the weekend and keep them fresh for a pivotal European tie.