CELTIC and Scotland midfielder Callum McGregor has stressed he has no concerns about the intense demands which are being placed on him by both club and country after getting his first rest in no fewer than 84 games in midweek.
McGregor was left on the bench by his manager Steve Clarke when the national team took on World Cup finalists France in a friendly international in the Stade Pierre-Mauroy over in Lille on Tuesday evening.
Watching from the sidelines was an unusual experience for the 56-times capped 30-year-old – he had last sat out a game in its entirety when his country took on Austria in a friendly in Vienna way back in the March of 2022.
The Scot’s former Celtic team mate Virgil van Dijk expressed concern earlier this month about the number of matches which footballers who ply their trade at the very highest level are being asked to play in the modern game.
The Liverpool and Netherlands centre half said: “The schedules are too busy. We keep having to play more and more games. The players are getting paid well, but it should never come at the cost of our health.”
However, McGregor, who will face Hearts at Tynecastle in the cinch Premiership this afternoon and then Atletico Madrid at Parkhead in the Champions League on Wednesday night, insisted that he preferred to be involved on a regular basis and expressed confidence he can cope both physically and mentally.
“It’s always good to get a wee rest,” he said. “The manager changed the team and while I was, of course, ready to go it didn’t happen in terms of getting on. That’s fine, no problem.
“There’s a lot of football, but as a footballer you want to play all the time. I’m fine. I just find it’s best when you are in that rhythm and enjoying all the games. But the rest can’t be a bad thing. We’ve got a lot of games coming up between now and the winter break and I want to help whatever team I’m playing for.
“You try not to look at stats like that (playing 84 games in a row). As an experienced player you know how your body is feeling, when you are playing well and not. So you focus on yourself, trying to recover well and being ready for the next game.
“That stat is good in terms of preparing my body and being able to recover. It’s something I have become used to in the last six years or so. It’s a lot of football, but if you want to play at the top level and be involved in European competition and internationally then that is the way forward.”
McGregor, who played more competitive minutes than any other player in world football in the 2018/19 season, has made 13 appearances since the 2023/24 campaign got underway back in August.
But he said: “You have to take it upon yourself to ensure that you are ready to start and then it’s up to the manager whether he plays you. My belief is that if you prepare well then you give yourself every chance of being involved.
“I like playing all the games. I feel better when I am in that rhythm and I have the three games a week. I’m used to it. I guess there can be issues when guys are getting to the later stages of tournaments. Virgil has probably done a lot of that internationally and in the Champions League. Everybody has a personal preference, but I would rather be involved.”
