McManus issues ‘huge’ Callum McGregor claim after what he’s seen from Celtic
Callum McGregor’s return to full fitness is “huge” for Celtic as the season prepares to get back underway.
That’s according to former Hibernian striker Tam McManus, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Hoops captain’s upcoming return.
McGregor, 29, has not played a competitive game for Celtic since coming off injured in 5 October’s loss to RB Leipzig.
He returned to the starting XI for Saturday’s (10 December) 4-3 Friendly loss to Rennes.
McManus can’t overstate how “huge” his return is for the club.
“Yeah, I saw he started. It’s a huge boost, he is the heartbeat of Celtic,” McManus told Football Insider‘s Ben Wild.
“He is a different kind of captain to Scott Brown in that he leads by example, his performances have shown that he is a very good player.
“I think Celtic have missed him, especially in those big European games that he was injured for. Carter-Vickers was missing as well and we the side struggle.
“As I say, it’s a huge boost to have him seemingly fully fit for the season returning in a few days. It adds to the competition in there.
“Going forward, I think McGregor can expect to return to that starting XI alongside Hatate, that’ seems to be the pair Ange likes.”
As shown in images shared by PLZ Soccer (16 November), McGregor first returned to training on 16 November) as the Green and Whites touched down in Sydney for their recent friendly tournament.
Speaking to club media (16 November), McGregor said that he would be joining in a few training sessions throughout the trip as he worked on his rehabilitation.
In other news, McManus has issued a ‘big’ Giorgos Giakoumakis claim after Celtic latest.