Callum McGregor v Todd Cantwell: Celtic skipper retorts on Rangers playmaker 'if that's your opinion then good for him'

Captain’s battle back from injury shows how much title means to him

Callum McGregor has laughed off claims from Rangers rival Todd Cantwell that his desire outweighs the Celtic captain – and the Scotland midfielder’s very presence in Saturday’s derby is proof of his determination to keep his club on top of the cinch Premiership.

McGregor was given a blunt injury prognosis in March when an Achilles problem flared up, but with Celtic facing a major title challenge from Rangers and the Euro 2024 finals looming with Scotland, the 30-year-old refused to accept a long period on the sidelines. After sitting out the March fixtures, McGregor returned off the bench in a 3-3 draw at Ibrox five weeks ago and has built up his fitness to play 89 minutes of last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Hearts.

This Saturday’s visit of Rangers gives him the opportunity to show how far he has come as he gets set for another tussle with Cantwell and co. The Gers midfielder pushed the Celtic skipper after the full-time whistle last month and later claimed: “I want to win just as much as he does – probably a little bit more.” And when quizzed on the subject, McGregor smiled when told of that statement and added: “If that’s his opinion, then good for him.”

Rangers' Todd Cantwell pushes Celtic's Callum McGregor in last month's Ibrox derby.

While McGregor had no desire to talk about Cantwell, he spoke in his broadcast press conference about coming out on top in the derby. “The game is emotional,” McGregor said. “You want to be emotional when you play in the game because I think you have to find something different to try and get your team on the line. Whatever the game throws at you, you have to deal with it, you have to find a solution. Sometimes they are messy, sometimes it’s good football that wins it for you, and you have to find the right cocktail to try and win the game.”