Postecoglou looking to fill Mcgregor gap
No-one believes life without Callum Mcgregor for Celtic will be straightforward.
Not Ange Postecoglou. The Celtic manager acknowledges his captain is irreplaceable for the period he is sidelined by the knee problem sustained in Wednesday’s 3-1 Champions League defeat away to RB Leipzig. A timescale that will be determined by the midfielder’s trip to a specialist, but which the Australian, in his typically guarded fashion, has stated isn’t “short-term” but is hoped isn’t “long-term”.
Not Oliver Abildgaard. The Rubin Kazan loanee whose previous deployment as a defensive midfielder has led the Dane to be pinpointed as an obvious choice to fill the huge Mcgregor-shaped hole in the centre of the pitch for the Scottish champions.
The 26-year-old – as with Postecoglou – cautions over expecting too much too soon from the summer arrival. Abildgaard’s Celtic debut came in the 89th minute of last weekend’s Motherwell win. A consequence of a red card for Mcgregor that meant the team’s metronome would have missed the imminent encounter with St Johnstone in Perth even if not injured. The Danish international then had a 52-minute run-out in Leipzig on replacing the Celtic captain. Appearances that place Abildgaard firmly ahead of schedule.
“I actually expected the time to be even a bit longer before I had to play,” he said. “It was four months since my last game. Regular playing time is the way back to reach your top fitness levels, so I just have to keep going.
"I’m sure that when my fitness levels reach a good point then my performance levels will also follow. And yeah [it is important that people don’t compare me to
Callum Mcgregor]. No two players are the same and my way of playing is different to Callum. I will try to do the job that I have been brought in to do. If people expect me to be an identical copy, then it isn’t going to be like that.”
Postecoglou’s recognition of that extends to his belief no single player will be able to fulfil the myriad roles Mcgregor performs.
Aaron Mooy, James Mccarthy and Yosuke Ideguchi, as well as Abildgaard, are all in the mix for the on-field cover. The quartet could see action.
Little of this has come the way of the Japanese midfielder in Scotland because of a luckless run with injury himself.
"Yosuke is another one and the opportunity is there for all of them,” said Postecoglou. “They are training every day and he will get a chance at some point, so it's up to him to take it.
“It's disappointing to lose Callum. It's not just what he brings to the team in his performances, which is pretty significant for the team and how we want to play.
"There is also what he offers us in terms of leadership and general influence around the place. You can't replace him because he's been here for ten years. It's not a matter of replacing him, it's about finding solutions within the group to fill the gaps.
"That might be one person, that might be two or three people in terms of the leadership. It's an opportunity for others to step up now and step into the breach.
"Ultimately, there's a reason why Callum is the captain. He's also a fantastic captain and those types aren't easy to replace.”