‘Good for him’ : McGregor laughs off Cantwell’s ‘will to win’ claim

‘Good for him’ : McGregor laughs off Cantwell’s ‘will to win’ claim

Callum McGregor refused to engage in a verbal war with Todd Cantwell after the Rangers star claimed his desire for success outweighed the Celtic captain’s.

The Scotland midfielder, who has won 20 major honours with the Hoops, laughed off the comments when asked about them on Friday.

Glasgow’s big two meet in the east-end of the city on Saturday with the league leaders looking to take a massive step towards their third Premiership title in a row.

When an Achilles problem flared up in March, McGregor received a stark injury prognosis. He had played every game for club and country in 2023 and was about to go on a long layoff during one of his most critical years.

However, with Celtic facing a significant championship threat from Rangers and the Euro 2024 finals looming, the 30-year-old returned to the squad earlier than envisaged, in time for the 3-3 draw at Ibrox five weeks ago.

He then started the Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen and played 89 minutes in last Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Hearts.

This Saturday’s visit by their local rivals affords him the opportunity to show how far he has come as he prepares for another clash with Cantwell and co.

The two were involved in a confrontation at Ibrox when the Rangers midfielder pushed the Celtic captain after the final whistle, subsequently claiming: “I want to win just as much as he does – probably a little bit more.”
When notified of the statement, McGregor laughed and said, “If that’s his opinion, then good for him.”
\McGregor’s reaction to his injury news demonstrates his strong desire to win.

“We went to see the specialist and they gave us a pretty long timeframe to be honest,” he stated.

“Given where we were in the season, we had a group discussion, and there was no way you were going to sit out and watch it all happen. I’d rather be in there, battling with the guys.

“So we tried to be aggressive as we could, in a safe way of course, and there was definitely a will and intention to be as involved as possible.

When asked how he had speeded up the process of recovery, McGregor said: “Just determination.” Celtic reduced the strength work McGregor was doing ahead of the Hearts game and the midfielder appeared to get about the pitch more effectively.

“I am starting to feel much better,” he stated.

“There’s usually a period when you’re injured that you have to suffer a little bit in order to catch up with the rest of the team. You work harder in the gym to rebuild your leg strength, which might have a long-term impact.

“But I am starting to feel like I am in a good place and the last couple of weeks’ training have been really positive.”

While McGregor did not want to discuss Cantwell, he will do all it takes to win Saturday’s game as his team looks to extend their three-point lead.

“The game is emotional,” McGregor explained. “You want to be emotional when you play in the game because I believe you need to do something different to get your team on the line.

“No matter what the game throws at you, you must cope with it and find a solution.

“Sometimes they are messy, sometimes it’s good football that wins it for you, and you have to find the right cocktail to try and win the game.”

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