Callum McGregor believes it is only a matter of time before his former Celtic midfield colleague Scott Brown is managing in the Scottish Premiership, even though he appears to have ruled himself out of the running to become St Johnstone boss.
Former Scotland and Hoops captain Brown kicked off his managerial career with Fleetwood in 2022 and is now thriving in charge of Ayr, who are top of the William Hill Championship.
The 39-year-old, who spent 14 years as a Celtic player, featured prominently on the shortlist for the vacancy at top-flight strugglers St Johnstone, who host Brendan Rodgers’ league leaders on Saturday evening. However, he has reportedly withdrawn himself from contention after holding talks with their owner Adam Webb.
Whether with the Perth club or not, McGregor is confident his predecessor as skipper at Parkhead will soon be a Premiership boss.
“Yeah, I think so,” the 31-year-old said on Wednesday.
“I know Scott really, really well from my time here, we played in midfield together for a number of years, and when you do that you understand what makes people tick, how good they really are and how much they understand the game.
“It’s no surprise that he’s gone into management and he’s started really, really well. And I see him having a Premiership job before too long.”
While McGregor formed a strong alliance with Brown in the Celtic engine room, there is a new midfielder being idolised by the Hoops support, with 21-year-old Belgium international Arne Engels having made a big impression in his opening games since arriving from Augsburg last month.
“I saw him on the first day and I thought, ‘He’s a player, he can play’,” said McGregor. “He’s a real powerhouse and good on the ball. But you still have to go and deliver when the game kicks off.
“For a young player, albeit experienced for his age, to come into a club this size and take two penalties in the first two games and hit the ground running the way he has done has been excellent.”
Engels is one of the signings who have bolstered the squad this summer and helped the Hoops get off to a perfect start of eight wins in all competitions.
“It’s a really strong squad,” said McGregor. “The profile of the team is pretty much where we want it to be – we’ve got a good balance of speed, power and physicality and the right tactical stuff that we need as well so it’s a really balanced group.
“Time will tell in terms of how well we go on and do, but it certainly has all the hallmarks of a good team and it’s now just about the players delivering that on the pitch.”
