Dundee manager Tony Docherty explains how he feels about losing Luke McCowan to Celtic.

Dundee manager Tony Docherty explains how he feels about losing Luke McCowan to Celtic.

Luke McCowan’s move to Celtic this summer surprised the Parkhead fans.

Celtic were busy on transfer deadline day, and the £1 million signing of McCowan finished off a successful transfer window for Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers.

Since then, McCowan has made an impact not only domestically, but also in the Champions League for Celtic. Dundee manager Tony Docherty appears to be suffering from the loss of McCowan to Celtic, as he laments his current injury problems at Dens Park.

Luke McCowan ‘difficult to replace’ after big move from Dundee to Celtic

Docherty is looking ahead to Dundee’s match against Hibs on Saturday, and when asked about losing two players to injury, the Dens Park manager revealed how losing McCowan to Celtic has impacted his team significantly.

Docherty told The Courier, “After losing my captain Joe Shaughnessy, my vice-captain Trevor Carson (both to injury), and Luke (McCowan, to Celtic), I’ve lost three captains. That is challenging. “Luke had a significant influence in the locker room. “It’s difficult to replace that, but there are plenty of decent options.

“It’s also about time. At the start of the season, we were flying, having scored the most goals in Scotland. “Luke was a big part of that, so when you take that out of your team it’s hard to replace.”

What Dundee boss Tony Docherty has said about Celtic and Luke McCowan so far this season

Docherty is definitely hurting after losing a player of McCowan’s caliber to Celtic, but to be fair, the Dundee manager has handled the loss well.

Docherty revealed what he told the Dundee players following McCowan’s Celtic move, praising his team for their role in securing the lifelong Celtic supporter’s dream move.

The Dundee manager also praised Celtic when they defeated his side 2-0 at Parkhead this season, describing the Hoops as a ‘great, top opponent’. Docherty even conceded that since joining Celtic, McCowan has only gotten ‘better and better’, citing improvements in his movement and game intelligence.

There is little doubt that McCowan will be a key player for Celtic this season, and fans will be eager to see him progress even more under Rodgers.

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