After 63 caps, three goals and two major tournaments, Callum McGregor has brought the curtain down on his Scotland career. Finally, after churning out 50-plus games for what seems like his entire career, something has had to give for Celtic’s bionic man.
There were signs towards the end of last season that at the age of 31, the Celtic captain was starting to show one or two signs of wear and tear. A bout of Achilles tendonitis threatened to rule him out of the climax to the title race, and even the European Championships.
His remarkable powers of recovery ensured that he returned to action ahead of schedule and played a full part for club and country over the spring and summer, but one wonders just how much that scare played into his decision to call time on his international commitments.
“Deep down he will have his own reasons,” Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager, said.
“I know Callum so well, he has played so many games for me as a manager. I just know he will now look at this part of his career after playing so many games - over 500 odd games in his club career -and he will have many more to come.
“He will probably want to be able to look after his body and fitness-wise he is in a really good condition, and he will be looking forward to the future.”
A future at Celtic which Rodgers thinks may be extended by his decision to retire from the national team set-up. Something that, from his own point of view, would please Rodgers greatly.
“I had spoken to Callum about that and was aware of his intentions,” he said.
“He's had a great seven years with Scotland. He has 63 caps.
“From a selfish perspective, it is really good news for Celtic. He will get the chance to recover properly due to the number of games that he plays. This will give him those little opportunities to have a breather because he is really intense.
“That's what I love about him, his appetite to improve, and he never has a day off - ever. Even when he has a free day to recover, he is thinking about the game. These little windows that he will have will give him the chance to do that.
“It is a fantastic career he has for his country, and he can be very proud of that. He is now entering the next part of his career, and all of his focus will be on Celtic.”
There is a wider point here about the football calendar, which is now extending across almost the entirety of the year. Footballers like McGregor may have been willingly flogged over these past few years, such is their appetite to play the game, but they have are being flogged nonetheless.
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It is something that Rodgers is factoring into his planning for the season, as he looks for windows where he himself can give his main players some respite.
“The top players that are playing lots of games both at clubs and internationally, it is becoming a challenge for them,” he said.
“I would go as far as to say that football is becoming like a business, as for some, it’s a 12-month season.
"We may find that going forward you may have to give players rest and breaks during the 12 months. It might not be in the summer or whenever because they’re playing so much.
“I think you've seen that in the Euros, that tiredness in a whole raft of teams and players. I think in terms of Callum’s position, we were very clear on what he wanted to do, and he can look back on many great memories as a Scotland player. Now he can fully concentrate on Celtic and his family.
“There is no right or wrong in it. I’ve given players before periods over Christmas and other little chunks of time. It is something that has to come into your thinking because they’re not machines.
“Some of these guys and the games that they’re playing, and the intensity that they’re playing at is at a very high level, and some pressures come from playing with big clubs.
“These are things that you try to manage with the player.”
Meanwhile, Rodgers has confirmed that winger Daizen Maeda will be fit for the trip to face Hibernian at Easter Road on Sunday after recovering from a knee injury sustained against Chelsea in a pre-season friendly.
