Liam Shaw believes Celtic star Callum McGregor is a rare breed among midfielders as the Parkhead captain has ‘a bit of everything’ in his game, via quotes by the Daily Record.
McGregor made his 32nd appearance of the season so far on Monday night as the Bhoys beat Hibernian 2-0. The 28-year-old has only missed five of the Hoops’ fixtures across all competitions since Ange Postecoglou took charge last year.
Postecoglou tasked McGregor with anchoring Celtic’s engine room in their first game after the Premiership winter break this week. He sat in behind Tom Rogic and star debutant Reo Hatate, and helped drive the Glasgow outfit forward throughout.
The result lifted Celtic to within a win of Premiership leaders Rangers, who visit Aberdeen on Tuesday. The Parkhead outfit also opened an eight-point advantage over Hearts in third ahead of the Jambos’ meeting with St Johnstone.
Shaw now wants to follow McGregor’s lead by leaving Celtic on loan and then establishing a key role in Glasgow. The 20-year-old has joined Motherwell until the end of the term and could debut at Ross County on Tuesday night.
“You look at the likes of Callum McGregor, he’s so unbelievably consistent,” Shaw said. “He’s like a seven or eight in every single game, and he’s a guy I look up to.
“He had a loan spell, as well, so I’d definitely like to follow him. He’s got a bit of everything in his game. You rarely see him give the ball away, he’s got great energy, loves a tackle and he scores and creates goals, as well. Cal can play anywhere in midfield.”
McGregor set a great example for Shaw to follow at Celtic
Shaw joined Celtic last summer after leaving hometown club Sheffield Wednesday, but has failed to breakthrough under Postecoglou. The Owls product only featured twice for a total of 74-minutes in the Australian’s side before joining Motherwell on loan.
Postecoglou also only listed Shaw in four of Celtic’s matchday sides for Premiership games. While 65 of his minutes came in their dead-rubber Europa League group stage win at home to Real Betis.
Shaw may now follow McGregor’s path after the Celtic captain joined Notts County on loan in 2013/14. He had not featured for the Hoops first-team before leaving Glasgow, but has remained a key presence since returning.
McGregor showed Celtic what he can offer in the English third-tier with 12 goals over 37 appearances. The 41-cap Scotland international now has 55 goals and 67 assists over 357 outings for the Bhoys.
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