Ange Postecoglou has revealed Callum McGregor is "ahead of schedule" in his injury rehab.
The Celtic captain has been sidelined until after the World Cup after being struck down with a knee problem in the Champions League defeat away at RB Leipzig earlier in October. Postecoglou and his squad have had to adapt without their skipper in the meantime, but the manager says McGregor has remained a "constant presence" in the dressing room and is feeling upbeat about his path to recovery.
The 29-year-old is pushing hard every day and Postecoglou insists it's no surprise to anyone at the club that he is making progress towards a return faster than initially anticipated. He's spoken regularly with the midfielder and stressed there will still be plenty of football to be played when he returns after the break for Qatar 2022.
Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "He's a constant presence, he's always around the dressing room. The recovery's going well but we won't see him before the break.
"Callum being Callum, he's pushing every boundary and is probably ahead of schedule, which is no surprise to us. Speaking to him, he's in a really good space and is really pleased with how it's going.
"He realises when we come back there's still a fair bit of the season to go; the most important part of the season. He wants to be a big contributor to that."