Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has said that he is hopeful that he will have Callum McGregor available for his side’s trip to Ibrox at the beginning of April. The Celtic skipper has missed the last two games through an Achilles injury; however, the extent of the injury is unknown and there have been rumours that the Scotland Internationalist may be out until the end of the season.
Speaking to Record Sport after the Scottish Cup win over Livingston, Rodgers said that he hopes to have the skipper available for the top of the table clash against Rangers.
“It always is if you have your top players and your captain not available. Of course, there will be other players who can come in, but the level that he brings the game to is beyond what a lot of our players can do.
“Fingers crossed again we can get to the bottom of that and he’ll be available after the international break.”
Celtic are a much better team with McGregor at the heart of the midfield. The December win over Philippe Clement’s side showed his class against a backdrop of fans suggesting that he was off the pace. The midfielder would benefit from a period of rehabilitation before the game at Ibrox with the manager suggesting that he would be able to rely on other members in the squad to deputise.
Tomoki Iwata has been solid deputising for McGregor but in the game at Tynecastle, it was a drop-off in quality from McGregor. There is also the added incentive for the 30-year-old in that he will almost certainly be included in Steve Clarke’s squad for the forthcoming Euros in Germany this summer.
