Despite speculation linking him with a move away, Callum McGregor is looking forward to the season ahead with Celtic.
Chatter around the Parkhead captain's future intensified after he reportedly changed agents, now represented by the same agency as Brendan Rodgers.
That came after he spoke last season of wanting the club to match his ambitions, and fueled speculation that he could join his former boss in Saudi Arabia.
However, the 33-year-old is contracted until 2028 and judging by his comments in an interview with Celtic Player, is looking ahead to another season as they to defend their title.
Asked what he is looking for from the campaign, he said: "Basically becoming the best version of ourselves that we can be. I think that’s always the starting point.
"There will be challenges through the season—hopefully not as many as we had last season—but for sure there will be challenges and disappointment.
"I’ve said it in every pre-season trip I’ve been on: at some point in the season we will be tested, the character will be tested, and the team will be tested. It’s how we react and deal with pressure and setbacks. A lot of the work that you do in pre-season when you’re tired and the sessions are long is about finding that mental strength to get through it. That’s what will carry us through difficult moments throughout the season.
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"Initially, everyone has the perfect idea of how we want the team to look. We’re always working to get that as good as we can be—faster attacking football, trying to score loads of goals, being good on the counter-press, and not conceding goals.
"We have all those targets that we always start with, but sometimes you end up with games that don’t necessarily go your way, and it’s how you find a route through that. Again, last season that was the most pleasing aspect: how the players dealt with adversity.
"We will need that again, but hopefully it's fewer times throughout the season because we are being dominant."
McGregor insists the motivation is still there to be at Celtic and challenge for trophies and honours.
"I think that’s the job of a Celtic player; you don’t get tired of winning" he explained. "We’ve set ourselves an unbelievable standard over the last 14 or 15 years. We’ve been successful, won numerous titles and trophies, and we are trying to push all the time in European football to be as good as we can be.
"All that does is bring bigger expectations and a bigger target on your back. You then have to defend that. As hard as it was last season to win them, you then have to work even harder to defend them.
"The players and the core group that have been here for a long time understand that and they have to drive that level. As a Celtic player, you can never be bored of winning and trying to be the best you can be, improving as an individual and collectively."
