One thing any player cannot be in the Celtic first-team is quiet around the dressing room or in training.
There needs to be confidence, good communication and a belief in your ability if you are ever to make it as a successful player at Celtic.
Current captain, Callum McGregor, has all those qualities and more right now. But when he was a youngster just breaking through, McGregor was the quiet type that didn’t really speak much according to Celtic Assistant Manager, John Kennedy.
Kennedy said [The Official Celtic FC Podcast], “Callum was one I think he was towards the end of the youth side as I kind of took over them, the under 18s-19s at the time.
“He was a very special player. He was one who was very mature for his age, very humble, very quiet guy but whether he trained or played it was always the same level of performance in terms of his attitude and application was always 100%.
“He would take everything on board and was very driven to be successful.”
Callum McGregor is a warrior for Celtic now
What a difference a decade in the Celtic team makes. McGregor has not only developed into a wonderful footballer, he has turned into a fierce leader.
Taking over from Scott Brown, McGregor needed to put his own stamp on the Celtic captaincy and, my goodness, hasn’t he just?
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Unlike Broony, McGregor prefers to lead in his own distinct way. Whilst Scott Brown was more extrovert and loved to get into players’ heads, McGregor let his football and his training do the talking.
He sets the example amongst the players both on and off the park and his influence over the team is clear to see as they have all commented on his hard work and leadership in the dressing room.
One thing is for sure, that quiet and shy player that Kennedy was referencing is long gone now and the Celtic fans will be grateful for that.
In other news, ‘Let’s not lie’: Todd Cantwell now shares his honest feelings about Celtic as a club