Celtic were without captain Callum McGregor for Sunday’s Old Firm loss at home to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership
Scott Allan believes Callum McGregor’s value to Celtic isn’t shown until he misses a game – admitting the Hoops skipper remains the heartbeat of Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The 31-year-old former Scotland international was absent for Sunday’s five-goal Old Firm thriller against Rangers due to a calf problem as the Premiership leaders went down 3-2 on derby day in Glasgow’s east end.
Celtic struggled to get going in the first half and trailed by two goals at the break before producing an improved second half performance to get back on level terms, only for a defensive error to let Hamza Igamane strike late on for Barry Ferguson’s side.
Former Celtic and Hibs midfielder Allan believes the manner of Celtic’s defeat showed just how valuable McGregor is to the Scottish champions
For me, Callum McGregor, it is not until he’s not in the team you see how valuable he is to that squad,” Allan declared on BBC Sportsound. “He is the function of how this Celtic team plays.
“Everything is played through him and it allows Hatate to pick up certain position and the same with Engels a bit further forward. It proves how valuable a member he is.”
Fellow pundit Chris Sutton echoed those sentiments on Sky Sports, admitting: “Celtic missed Callum McGregor’s leadership and they missed his quality. It was so careless the goal they gave away for the winner. I think Cameron Carter-Vickers ducks out of the way.
Rangers have beaten Celtic twice this season, but they are not going to win the league. They play well when the pressure isn’t on. In many ways they’ll be kicking themselves, because they can produce performances like today but they’re miles away.”
It comes after Brendan Rodgers refused to use McGregor’s absence as an excuse for Celtic’s below-par display as they lost at home to their arch rivals for the first time in five years.
While the Northern Irishman felt his team were not as fluid without McGregor, he claimed the players who were available to him didn’t hit the levels he expected.
“I think we missed Callum today,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt in that. I mentioned before about the tactical balance he gives the team. He’s the guy that opens up everything for us. His movement, his quality, his touch gets us through the pitch nice and quickly.
“So, you could see it wasn’t anywhere near as fluid. That’s the reality. But others have to step up because, if he’s not playing, then we need to be better.
