LUKE McCOWAN admitted he had to forget he was a Celtic fan when he made his debut in the 3-0 derby triumph at Parkhead nine days ago.
The 26-year-old midfielder completed a £1million switch from Dundee late on deadline day before being pitched in against Philippe Clement’s Ibrox side in the immediate aftermath of skipper Callum McGregor’s spectacular strike for No.3.
McCowan, a lifelong Hoops fans growing up in a Greenock estate, realised a dream the moment he stepped onto the pitch in the 75th minute as a substitute for Reo Hatate.
According to the late bloomer who was playing for Ayr United only three years ago, it’s “been hectic” since he penned a deal until June 2027.
CELTIC VIEWS…Luke McCowan meets the media. Image courtesy Celtic TV.
McCowan said: “It’s been something that I dreamed of as wee boy, coming here and getting the chance to play for this club, it’s everything I could have imagined so far.
“There’s a lot of hard work, of course, but the week’s been good and everything’s going smoothly.”
On getting the nod from Brendan Rodgers to make his bow in Paradise, the former Dens Park captain commented: “A lot of trust from the manager was the main thing. After the game, I thanked him for putting that trust in me.
“It was incredible, coming on to a noise like that was amazing.
“But it was just another game, really, and I knew that I had to go on and be concentrated, and try to make as few mistakes as possible after getting about four hours’ sleep, which wasn’t the best.”
McCowan, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “But you know your job and when you’re in the environment, it’s serious mode on.
“You don’t really think you’re a fan, or on cloud nine, it’s just the hard work starting and that’s the kind of mind-set to go on.
SCARF ACE…Luke McCowan beats the clock to sign for Celtic late on deadline day.
”Early doors, you just want to play as many minutes as you can. The standard in here is the best in the country, it’s a Champions League team.
“I just know that it takes a lot of hard work to get into the team, I know it takes a lot of hard work to push players for their places and that’s what I want to do in the future.
“It’s about learning right now, doing the usual stuff when you go to a new team – that will be the mind-set just now.”
Looking ahead to the possibility of performing in Europe’s elite club competition, McCowan added: “That’s a bit surreal. This year, I’ll probably get a lot of first-time things happening at the club – like making my debut.
“If I get a chance to play in a Champions League game then that’s another big milestone in my career.”
Celtic are due to play Slovan Bratislava at Parkhead a week tomorrow as the new-look tournament kicks off, but before that, McCowan will be hoping for another Premiership outing against Hearts at the same venue on Saturday.
