Celtic were last night fuming at Kris Boyd’s controversial comments about Callum McGregor despite the former Rangers striker attempting a climbdown.
Record Sport understands Hoops chiefs were bombarded with complaints after the former Rangers striker admitted his surprise no Gers players ‘tested’ the Parkhead captain’s face mark in Wednesday’s Old Firm showdown.
McGregor was forced to wear a protective covering after fracturing his cheekbone in the Scottish Cup clash with Alloa 11 days previous.
Pundit Boyd paid tribute to McGregor’s attitude compared to Gers in the 3-0 rout but he said: “The fact he managed to get through the 90 minutes without anyone testing out that face mask is another story.”
Celts believe the statement was beyond the pale – and was encouraging putting McGregor in danger.
A club statement read: “With regards to comments made by former professional footballer Kris Boyd concerning Callum McGrego r’s injury, we can confirm that the matter is currently being addressed by the club.”
Boyd’s statement promoted a furious backlash from supporters – forcing the TV and newspaper pundit to attempt a clarification.
He said: “Some have taken that line to mean I wanted one of the Rangers players to intentionally try and hurt the midfielder.
“However, that is absolutely and unequivocally NOT the case.
“It was simply meant as a criticism of the Rangers players for their failure to get close to McGregor.”
Celtic are still looking in to the comments and are understood to be unconvinced by the explanation.