Former Celtic and Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has been left in awe at the ability Parkhead ace Callum McGregor possesses over some of his teammates at the club.
The 25-year-old – who naturally plays in a wide role – has been moved about in the side for both club and country, operating in a variety of midfield positions by Brendan Rodgers and Alex McLeish, and caught the eye playing for his country in the comfortable win over Albania.
Playing alongside the likes of fellow Celtic stars Ryan Christia and James Forrest, as well as former Hoop Stuart Armstrong, Strachan heralded the quartet’s talents but picked out McGregor as the man who outshone all of them with his talents on the ball.
He told Sky Sports’ coverage of the game with Israel on Tuesday (20/11, 19:05): “It was a terrific performance (v Albania) but they had a group of players who had been playing (together) before with Christie, McGregor, Armstrong, Forrest. They set the tempo to the game – especially Callum.
“Callum’s got this ability (of) understanding where the space is and have the ability and pace to go and people seeing him to get in at the same time.”
Opinion
McGregor might be an under the radar performer for many fans on the international stage, for he simply does not make the same dazzling impact as the likes of Forrest or the strikers. However, Strachan is absolutely right to celebrate what he brings to both club and country, for without him both teams would suffer tremendously. He is not only a quality talent out wide, using his close control and dribbling skill to work the ball down the flank. He also has brilliant vision and a top quality passing range which allows him to dissect defences and fashion chances his teammates would not only not see, but not have the ability to pull off. A central midfield role has suited him to some degree, although the defensive side of his game will always let him down, and so he is probably best off suited to a solely attacking midfield role or sticking out on the wing. Either way, Scotland and Celtic should be glad they have him at their disposal.