MARTIN O’NEILL is poised for clear-the-air talks with Callum McGregor to sort out the captain’s future at Celtic.
There have been persistent rumours linking the influential Hoops midfielder with a reunion in the Middle East with former gaffer Brendan Rodgers.
Thirty-three-year-old McGregor, who has 12 months to run on his current contract, fuelled the rumours when he recently switched to the same agency as the Irishman who quit Parkhead in late October before joining Saudi Arabian outfit Al Qadsiah.
DOUBLE-ACT…Callum McGregor and Brendan Rodgers celebrate Celtic’s Premier League Cup shoot-out success over Rangers at Hampden in December 2024.
Preparing to clarify the situation, O’Neill said: “I haven’t had a conversation with Callum yet, but I will during the course of pre-season, to see how he’s fixed.
“Are there no fears about him leaving in my eyes? Oh gosh, I didn’t say that. I never know about anybody leaving.
“He’s changed agents? Apparently so. He hasn’t hinted to me he wants to leave at this minute.
“That would be a bad blow. But sometimes money is a big thing, particularly when you’re past thirty.”
O’Neill, speaking to the Scottish Sun, continued: “I will have a chat with him, but he hasn’t brought it up at this moment.
“Maybe if he doesn’t speak to me, it’ll be all right!
“But if he does, I will tell him we want him at the club. If something comes in that is just mind-boggling for him, that becomes a different issue.”
JUST CHAMPION…Martin O’Neill and Callum McGregor hold aloft last season’s Premiership trophy after the 3-1 triumph over Hearts.
The 74-year-old team chief hailed the influence of McGregor on and off the pitch in the previous double-winning campaign and added: “He was absolutely terrific for us. He’s been a really good captain.
“But last season, right from the start, from the first time I came in in late October until right to the end of the season with my second spell, I thought he was brilliant.
“He is really important to us in many aspects because he’s got the football club in him. He knows it.
“It’s a bit like Paul Lambert, Neil Lennon, people like that. You know what it’s about.
“Sometimes when you bring in young lads like the Colombian lad, Camilo Duran, maybe they’ve heard of Celtic, but they don’t really know what it’s about.
“All they need is half an hour with Callum to let them know.”
McGregor led from the front as the team claimed a fifth successive title on the last day of the Premiership season when they beat Hearts 3-1 in a dramatic encounter at Parkhead.
The Edinburgh side had led the league since September. The champions then shed six points in October – losing 2-0 to Dundee at Dens Park and 3-1 to Derek McInes’ side at Tynecastle – before Rodgers walked.
JOY BHOYS…Kieran Tierney and Callum McGregor in celebratory mode at Parkhead.
Twelve points squandered during Wilfried Nancy’s catastrophic 33 days in charge – to Hearts (1-2), Dundee United (1-2), Motherwell (0-2) and Rangers (1-3) – before O’Neill returned in early January to perform minor miracles.
McGregor lifted the Scottish Cup following the 3-1 showpiece triumph over Dunfermline at Hampden on May 23 to achieve his 26th honour, making him the club’s second-most decorated player behind James Forrest, who has 28 medals.
He took over as the team’s onfield leader when Scott Brown left in the summer of 2021.
Now there are questions to be answered as Scotland’s title kings prepare for the challenges at home and abroad in the new season.
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