Ian Black believes that Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor is one of the best midfielders in Scotland currently.
Black, who was at the Bhoys’ Old Firm rivals from 2012 to 2015, wrote a column for the Daily Record recently and it concerns the top ten midfielders in Scottish football currently. While Hoops star Ryan Christie was second, his team-mate McGregor tops Black’s list.
He said: “He was still a really young kid at Inverness, maybe not even a teenager so I never played or trained with him or anything like that. There wasn’t even any hype about him at all. His Dad Charlie was my manager.
“He’s really kicked on at Celtic now though, The loan spells at Aberdeen did him a world of good and you can see now in his performances for Celtic and Scotland that he can bring something a wee bit different.”
Is McGregor Scotland's best midfielder?
Without a doubt!
There's many better!
A regular for club and country
Currently 26, McGregor is a product of the Hoops’ famed youth academy. He made his first-team debut back in the 2014-15 campaign after a brief loan spell with Notts County in England.
This season, the Scot has played 22 times in all competitions and that includes 12 appearances in the Premiership. During this time, the midfielder has found the back of the net three times for Neil Lennon’s men.
Last season, he appeared 59 times in all competitions for the Hoops. It was a highly productive season for him as he racked up six goals and boasted of a tally of 16 assists as well.
For the Scotland national team, McGregor made his debut back in 2017 and since then, he has established himself as a regular. He has started in every single one of the national team’s last 18 games.
TIF Tactics
The fact that McGregor is a regular for both club and country is a feat in itself, considering that he is still 26. He is yet to score or assist for the national team, but he has always played a variety of positions throughout this while. He has not just played as a central midfielder, he has played on the left and right-wing too, apart from attacking midfield.
Even this season, he has shown his versatility. While he has played as a central midfielder in Lennon’s 4-2-3-1 shape, McGregor has played as an attacking midfielder and as a left-back this season.
If he isn’t the best in the country, he is certainly right up there with the other best of the bunch.