Luke McCowan has told of his pride after signing for his boyhood club Celtic.
The midfielder, 26, was a last-gasp deadline day signing from Dundee, as Brendan Rodgers sanctioned the £1m move to bolster his options in the middle of the park.
The former Ayr United player is a lifelong Hoops supporter, and he admits it will take a little bit of getting used to turning out for the club after his switch from fellow Scottish Premiership team Dundee.
He told Celtic TV: "It's a bit surreal sitting here with the hoops on. I don't even know how to put it into words. It's just something I've been desperate to get done as soon as I knew they were interested. I'm desperate to get to work and show that I'm a player who can play for this club and hopefully help going forward.
🗣 "I'm ready to get to work and to show that I'm a player that can play for this club!" Watch Luke McCowan's first interview as a #CelticFC player on Celtic TV 🍀📽
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) August 31, 2024
"On the last day, I didn't really know much about what was happening, just an enquiry here and there. Then come the final day, final hours and final minutes I think it was, it was getting done. I couldn't care how it was getting done, but I'm here now and it's been a good ride."
Rodgers called McCowan personally to tie up the deal, with Hibernian also showing strong interest.
On that conversation, McCowan was said: "He just got my number and dropped me a lovely message to say if I could phone him.
"As soon as I phoned him he was nothing but complimentary about myself and welcomed me to the club. Two minutes on the phone I was ready to run as fast and as hard I could on the pitch for him. So yeah, I'm ready to go."
McCowan laughed when asked if he wondered if it was a wind-up, saying: "A wee bit. There's not nice people out there that would do that to you. As soon as I phoned and made sure it wasn't a wind-up, I was ready to go."
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He added: "My family are actually on a flight to Turkey so my mum and dad won't find out until they get there.
"I'm devastated they couldn't be here but they are proud as anything. My fiance as well has helped me through everything to get me here.
"It's special to come to a club this size and know that you're going to be a part of something that's going to be really great. I just need to go and prove now on the pitch that I deserve to be here and show the fans what I've got."
