Paul Lambert says Celtic star going ‘under the radar’ & without him team would be in ‘difficulty

Emmanuel Oryiman | January 11, 2024 | Celtic fc | No Comments

Donning the Celtic armband has certainly intensified matters for the midfielder and he has taken it in his stride.

The 30-year-old doesn’t exactly have the character of a Scott Brown, but one thing is for sure, he plays with the same bravery that the Hoops legend did.

Paul Lambert feels Callum McGregor is going ‘under the radar’ and if Celtic were to be without him, then the team would be in ‘difficulty’, as he told The Scottish Football Podcast.

As mentioned, the skipper is a big-game player, just cite his two games against Rangers this season.

At Ibrox, he ran the show and Brendan Rodgers delivered the win, then he was Man of the Match at Parkhead recently.

“I think Callum is the one who makes them tick really,” said Lambert. “I think Celtic have always had that type of player in the past and they need somebody to take the game. He has done that great.

“I think the next level for Callum is to consistently do it in Europe and the highest level of the Champions League. That’s where you want to make your mark on it. But he is the catalyst for it.

“Take him out of the picture, then I think the team is in a lot more difficulty. The way he plays the game, he is clever and his brain takes him to places quicker than what his legs will because he can read the game with it.

“He is great on the back foot. He receives the ball on the half-turn. Looks even before the ball comes to him, which is always a great sign of a midfielder. If you make the game look easy, then you know you are a top player. He probably goes under the radar with a lot of the people because Kyogo scores a lot of the goals and things like that.”