CALLUM McGREGOR proved he was up to the task when he answered Brendan Rodgers’ SOS minutes before kick-off against Hearts yesterday.
The midfielder was preparing for a place on the substitutes’ bench before Stuart Armstrong was injured in the preparations.
Rodgers immediately threw McGregor into the fray and the 23-year-old Glaswegian responded by scoring the opening goal in the 4-0 win over the Edinburgh outfit.
He said: “A couple of minutes before the warm-up was finished, I was told I was playing.
“Everything happened so quickly. You just try to focus on your job when you go on the pitch.
“You try to be ready any time the manager calls on you, whether that’s from the start or if it’s off the bench. You have to be ready and do your part for the team.
“The late runs into the box, getting a touch and finishing are things I have been working on, different aspects of finishing, as well.
“The manager wants midfield players to try to get into the box. If the ball is on one side then try to get one or two midfielders to get into the box and, thankfully, that happened on Sunday and I got the goal.”
McGregor is eager to be involved in the action again on Wednesday evening when Aberdeen visit Parkhead.
The Hoops hold a 22-point lead at the top of the Premiership and have no intentions of letting it slip.
McGregor added: “We have had a great run of games and victories and it’s made it difficult for teams to handle that pace.
“But Aberdeen had a good win over Dundee on Friday night and they will come full of confidence and try to take something.
“We just need to focus on ourselves and if we prepare properly, we’ve got people in form and scoring goals, so, hopefully, we can take care of it.”
