Celtic have done very well to build a pretty strong squad to compete in all competitions.
The rewards are there for all to see because Brendan Rodgers’ side are pushing for the Treble and are 16 points clear at the top of the Premiership table.
All of this after Celtic progressed in the Champions League this season and were knocked out by Bayern Munich in a cruel manner.
One of the strongest areas of Rodgers’ squad is the middle of the park, with captain Callum McGregor always guaranteed a starting spot, alongside Reo Hatate and Arne Engels.
It means that summer arrival Luke McCowan has had to watch on from the bench most of the time because of the sheer quality ahead of him.
That includes Celtic’s win over Hibernian in the Scottish Cup at the weekend.
John Collins says he likes Luke McCowan ‘a lot’
McCowan replaced McGregor against Hibernian after 75 minutes, and despite spending little time on the pitch, he assisted Adam Idah’s goal that sealed Celtic’s passage into the semi-final.
Watching on from the stands at Celtic Park, John Collins was lauding what he was seeing from McCowan and the attack-minded nature in which he thinks and plays.
The former Hoops star stated that ‘I like him a lot’ and gave McCowan his flowers, as he told BBC Radio Scotland.
“One thing I like about McCowan is that he is always positive,” said Collins. “He looks forward all the time.
“His first thought is, can I drive forward? Can I play forward? Or can I get a shot off? Terrific player. I like him a lot.
McCowan’s stats for Celtic in debut campaign
You sense that there is plenty more to come from McCowan and fans might not get to see him at his best until next season.
It doesn’t help that the 27-year-old isn’t earning more minutes, but that’s what happens when you play at such a high level.
One thing that can’t be argued is that, when he has been at his best, there is a lot of attacking quality on show and he possibly needs to play further up.
Five goals from just over 1000 minutes is pretty solid and you sense it could go to another level next season.
