CALLUM McGREGOR reckons new Bhoy Kasper Schmeichel will fit in seamlessly to life at Celtic.
The captain has had a face-to-face meeting with Denmark’s legendary goalkeeper who is ready for the challenge of taking over from fans’ favourite Joe Hart as the Hoops’ No.1.
Schmeichel arrived just hours before the champions’ first game of their American tour when they beat DC United 4-0 in Washington in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The towering keeper, 37, who signed a one-year deal with a 12-month option, is now standing by to make his debut against one of his former clubs, Manchester City, in North Carolina tomorrow.
YANKS A LOT…Callum McGregor gives the thumb’s up to the Celtic fans in Washington as the players warm up before the 4-0 win over DC United.
Speaking about the qualities of Brendan Rodgers’ latest recruit, McGregor said: “I’ve had a couple of chats with him already.
“He’s a really nice guy, he wants to win and he wants to do well.
“He’s a vastly experienced goalkeeper, played at a really good level and he comes in with that authority and confidence about himself which is excellent.
“When you have football conversations there are certain things you want to hear and he’s certainly ticking all the boxes.
“It’s great for him to come in and feel so comfortable and, hopefully, we can build a really good, successful working relationship as well as a good personal one, as well.”
There were thousands of Hoops followers in the 18,589 crowd in the American capital at the weekend and a huge turn-out is expected for the meeting with Pep Guardiola’s Premier champions.
FLAG HAPPY…support from the New York fans in Washington. Images courtesy Celtic TV.
The skipper, speaking to the club’s TV, continued: “Everyone who plays for Celtic will tell you that the support is unbelievable.
“It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, you’ll find somebody with a Celtic jersey. It shows you the gravitas the club has got.
“They don’t get to watch a lot of games live, so it’s important that while we’re here we try to give the best of ourselves.
“It’s been a brilliant tour so far and obviously we want to keep ramping it up now and making sure the game-time and training is spot on.”
Reflecting on the victory over DC United where Matt O’Riley (2), Mikey Johnston and James Forrest netted the goals, McGregor added: “I thought the boys were fantastic.
“A lot of the football was really slick. I thought the game was excellent, so, hopefully, we can continue like that.
A BIG HAND…Kasper Schmeichel is ready for the rigours of life as a Celtic player.
“We’ve got to keep building. We have two tough games coming up against big clubs. I know it’s early on, but that’s the level in terms of Champions League and European competition.
“It’ll be a nice test for us early on to see where we’re at in terms of playing our style against another attacking style.
“We want to hit the ground running for the league campaign and the Cup competitions that are coming so it’s important that we continue to build.”
Celtic wind up the quickfire tour with a game against Chelsea in Indiana on Saturday evening before flying home to prepare for the Premiership kick-off against Kilmarnock a week on Sunday.
