MARK McGHEE is backing Gary Mackay-Steven to take his career to a new high at Celtic.
And Gordon Strachan’s international No.2 reckons Scotland will benefit from the spin-off.
Mackay-Steven has signed a pre-contract agreement with the Hoops and is set to join them after his deal with Dundee United expires in the summer.
The 24-year-old won his first cap in a friendly against the United States in 2013.
But former Celtic striker McGhee believes the winger will get even better at Parkhead.
He said: “Gary will definitely take his game to the next level at Celtic.
“Now, that is not a reflection on Dundee United.
“They have done brilliantly to bring him to the stage he is at.
“But United have, of late, sold players. Therefore, in a sense, they are undermining themselves all of the time by having to sell their best players. It is not their fault.
“But Gary needed to go somewhere where the team will develop rather than be sold around him.
“I think with the development he’ll get at Celtic and the time they’ll spend on him you will start to see a player emerge.”
McGhee, who spent five years at the Glasgow giants, thinks Mackay-Steven will be an excellent addition to Ronny Deila’s squad.
He added: “We’ve had him in the squad a couple of times. He is another one of those who you look at and think: ‘Is that smile stitched on?’
“Gary is just a boy who is happy with life and happy with football.”
