Celtic 24-year-old: I am thriving on pressure this season
By Danny Wright
Celtic are one of the biggest clubs in British football and Stuart Armstrong has said that he is thriving with the pressure that comes with it.
Armstrong has scored crucial goals in all three of his last outings in the green and white hoops and has since earned himself a chance of a debut Scotland cap as he was named in Gordon Strachan’s squad for the upcoming international fixtures.
The 24-year-old’s role in Celtic’s unbeaten domestic season so far has gone largely unnoticed by the media until recent weeks when he ran the show in the Old Firm derby against Rangers.
He scored the Bhoys’ only goal of the game with a brilliantly struck low drive before he was later substituted off as a precaution.
Now, Armstrong believes that the losses earlier in the season against Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League has helped him and his teammates grow from boys to men as they look to maintain an unbeaten domestic season.
“I think this season has been one of learning and European football has definitely helped that development,” said the midfield dynamo, as quoted by STV.
“You learn a lot from big occasions like that. It’s only going to stand you in good stead.
“I’m a little bit older now and a little bit more experienced with the Champions League and accepting the pressure of winning every week with Celtic.
“It’s definitely a learning experience this season and I’m probably in the best experienced position I’ve been in my career.”
In all competitions this season, Armstrong has scored 12 goals and assisted seven in 37 appearances for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The Hoops are currently 25 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership but now have a two-week gap between fixtures as Armstrong joins up with five other Celtic players in Strachan’s Tartan Army.
The midfielder has the chance of earning his first cap against either Canada in an international friendly at Easter Road or in a 2018 World Cup qualifier showdown with Slovenia.
In other Celtic news, Rodgers has delivered a crucial injury update on Moussa Dembele.
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