Celtic captain Callum McGregor has declared that his side possess the psychological edge in the Scottish Premiership title race, as he firmly dismissed speculation linking him with a move away from Parkhead. Speaking ahead of the post-split fixtures, the 32-year-old midfielder underlined the resilience and mentality that have kept the Hoops in contention despite a turbulent season.
Celtic currently sit third in the table, three points behind leaders Hearts and two adrift of Old Firm rivals Rangers. With five games remaining, including a pivotal clash against Rangers on May 10, McGregor remains confident in his team's ability to overturn the deficit. Celtic kick off their post-split campaign at home to Falkirk on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
“I don’t think I’d be doing my job properly if I didn’t think we had the edge,” McGregor said, as quoted by Sky Sports. “I see the Celtic team every day, I see how we train, I see what we’ve overcome already this season in terms of a little bit of adversity, changing manager twice, fought back from where we were. We were in a cup final, we’re in another cup final.”
McGregor highlighted the squad’s never-say-die attitude, pointing to a string of late goals as evidence of their mental fortitude. “We’ve scored a lot of late goals, so that tells you the mentality is there to keep going. I never went into training one day and thought that we were gone. I never ever looked inside the dressing room and seen the players and seen the way that they were. The one thing that struck me was everyone still thinks we can do this.”
Captain Commits to Celtic Future
The 24-time trophy winner was linked with a reunion with former boss Brendan Rodgers at Saudi club Al Qadsiah in January. But McGregor was unequivocal in his commitment to the club he joined as an eight-year-old. “I’ve always said I want to be at this club. I’ve come through since I was eight years old. It’s in my DNA. It’s something I carry with me every single day. I want to be here.”
When asked if he intends to end his career at Celtic, McGregor added: “Yeah. It’s obviously twofold — if the club think I’ve got something to offer, and they want to keep pushing, they want to keep being successful. The one thing you do get when you’re at this club is when you have a taste of success, you want to keep it.”
Key Takeaways
- Title Race Mindset: McGregor insists Celtic have the psychological edge despite sitting third, citing late goals and resilience.
- Adversity Overcome: The squad has navigated two managerial changes and a cup final defeat, yet remains in contention.
- Captain’s Loyalty: McGregor dismisses January transfer links to Al Qadsiah, reaffirming his desire to stay and potentially finish his career at Celtic.
Infographic: Celtic’s Title Charge
Position: 3rd | Points Behind Leaders: 3 | Games Remaining: 5 | Key Fixture: Celtic vs Rangers (May 10) | Late Goals Scored: 8 (most in league) | Managerial Changes: 2 (Ange Postecoglou out, Brendan Rodgers in, then interim)
The Hoops’ path to glory includes a trip to Hibernian on May 3 and the crunch Old Firm derby at home a week later. With McGregor leading from the front, Celtic believe they can defy the odds and reclaim the title.