Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor has been deployed at left-back for the last couple of games in place of the injured Kieran Tierney.
Celtic fans will have been devastated when they learnt of the recent injury to Kieran Tierney, with the young left-back being arguably the club’s most consistent performer.
Since breaking into the first-team, Tierney has not looked back, and aged 20 he has amassed 120 appearances for his boyhood club, winning four trophies so far. With no real experienced senior left-back in the squad besides Tierney, Rodgers was left with a big decision to make following news of the youngster’s stint on the sidelines.
Many fans will have expected the Northern Irishman to resort to a back three, with traditional wingers such as James Forrest and Scott Sinclair slotting in as makeshift wing backs, but instead, the manager has opted to remould an existing star into a new position.
Callum McGregor has played a number of roles in a Celtic shirt, having been deployed in all areas of midfield and even on the wing on occasion. However, not until Tierney’s injury did we see him play full-back; a position he has excelled in over the last couple of games.
This sort of management is not uncommon in football. Earlier this season Neil Warnock transformed former Hearts right-back Callum Paterson into a goal-scoring central midfielder, while James Milner has moved the other direction under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, and is now often deployed at left-back instead of his usual position on the wing or in midfield.
Like Milner at Liverpool, McGregor has taken to his new position with grace and, in last night’s draw against Dundee, the 24-year-old was one of the team’s standout performers.
This summer, with novice Calvin Miller as the only other out and out left-back in the squad besides Tierney, Rodgers will likely bring a new face in as cover. However, McGregor will have successfully demonstrated to his manager that he is more than capable of filling in there if required.
With a stacked midfield that boasts the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Olivier Ntcham, Scott Brown and Tom Rogic, the competition for places is always fierce, but Rodgers’ decision to use McGregor in such a different position is both testament to his intelligence as a player and the level of trust he has earned from his manager.
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