CELTIC fans were surprised at the unusual sight of skipper Callum McGregor being given the hook in the champions’ 5-2 win over St Mirren in Paisley last night.
The team’s onfield leader was removed from the action in the 65th minute with the score tied at 2-2 against Stephen Robinson’s bruising Buddies.
McGregor made way for Luke McCowan in one of three changes from Brendan Rodgers with Filipe Jota and Yang Hyun-jun replacing Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn.
PUSH OFF…Callum McGregor challenges St Mirren’s Killian Phillips for possession.
Arne Engels took over the captain’s anchorman role in midfield and the switches worked a treat as the South Korean winger claimed a double and Daizen Maeda swept in his 26th goal of a prolific campaign to make sure the Hoops eased 16 points ahead at the Premiership pinnacle on their way to a fourth successive title.
Rodgers explained the McGregor ‘mystery’ afterwards as he told Celtic TV: “He just felt a little bit of tiredness in his calf.
“I didn’t want to take any risk with him.
“And Luke coming in was fantastic. Arne Engels just dropped back in.”
Thirty-one-year-old McGregor was making his 43rd appearance of the crusade and the wear and tear in the frontline of battle will manifest at some stage.
There was little respite in the engine room against a Saints side who snapped into every challenge and fought for every scrap. The basic tactics were good enough for the team to win 2-0 at Ibrox the previous weekend and they were hell bent on a Glasgow double on this occasion.
JOY BHOYS…Luke McCowan congratulates two-goal Yang Hyun-jun as the pair celebrate Celtic’s 5-2 win to make sure of three points in Paisley.
However, first-half strikes from the impressive Jeffrey Schlupp, his first for the club, and Engels, with a cute penalty-kick, had the visitors in the lead twice before the victory was sealed with two superb headers from Yang and a typical finish from the inexhaustible Maeda.
McGregor will be back in his usual beat when he leads out the team for the Scottish Cup quarter-final against Hibs at Parkhead a week today.
