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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Robbie Hanratty

McCowan ‘doesn’t look out of place’ at Celtic as ex-striker shares what he’s heard

Luke McCowan has come into Celtic and immediately hit the ground running. 

Signed from Dundee for £1million on Deadline Day, the transfer certainly raised some eyebrows given the calibre of signings Celtic fans have become accustomed to in recent times.

However, with a goal off the bench already in his second appearance for the club, the early impressions have suggested that the transition to the Scottish Premiership champions has been seamless. 

Former Hoops striker Tony Watt has even heard what his fellow pros have been saying about the 26-year-old, and it’s certainly all positive. 

“I’ve heard a lot of good things," Watt said. "A lot of boys from Dundee are saying he’ll go there and do well.

“And whoever I’ve spoken to that’s trained with him since signing says he doesn’t look out of place.


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“I think managers get scared to work the players too hard, because when you work them hard, you get injuries.

“You need to accept that, but a lot of managers, especially at the lower clubs, don’t have the budget to get players in to have replacements for the boys who get injured.

“But Celtic do it well, they’ve gone and signed McCowan, spent money on Idah to come in for Kyogo.

“They’ve got two top, top players in every position. So he can work them to their max, and if he gets a couple of muscle injuries, he can just get on with it and pick them up again.”

(Image: The Warm-Up) Watt, who famously scored during Celtic's 2-1 Champions League victory over Barcelona in November 2012, was also impressed by how quickly £11million recruit, Arne Engels, has slotted into the Hoops side. 

In fact the addition of the former Augsburg midfielder has made the transition from losing Matt O'Riley a lot smoother than anticipated. 

“The most impressive thing was the energy," Watt told The Warm-Up. "You don’t play anyone terrible in the Champions League.

"I know people are saying Bratislava were not the best, but Celtic made them look really, really, average.

"I didn’t think they could have replaced O’Riley, but the boy Engels, he looks the real deal. I think he could be more than worthy of replacing Matt O’Riley.”

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