Callum McGregor holds Celtic talks with Michael Nicholson as captain tipped to become manager
Captain is ‘definitely management material’ says current boss
Martin O’Neill believes his Celtic captain Callum McGregor has what it takes to become a manager - and revealed the midfield held summer talks with chief executive Michael Nicholson over his long-term future.
Speculation has grown over McGregor’s long-term future at Celtic Park after he switched agents in June amid talk of a potential switch to the Saudi Arabian Pro League, where two of his former coaches in Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou currently work.
McGregor himself spoke last week about his contentment currently at Celtic and current manager O’Neill confirmed that the player has told him he wants to remain at the club. The Northern Irishman also sees a potential coaching pathway for the academy graduate.
"He had a good conversation with Michael, the CEO,” explained O’Neill. “It didn't need reiterating what we think of him here, his potential, and what he can do.
"Right about now, he should be starting to think about coaching badges, so there's always a role for him here. He's got a couple of years left to run on his contract and he by all accounts wants to stay, that's what he said to me. He's happy.
"If I was thinking at boardroom level, I'd be thinking something along those lines.”
Asked if McGregor could one day become a manager, O’Neill said: "That is extremely possible. It's too early for him to think about that, but he's definitely managerial material.
"There were some lads that have done well as managers that I had that you wouldn't have immediately thought that was the case, and there's other ones I thought would be terrific, and it didn't materialise.”
O’Neill sees McGregor as a coach on the pitch. “He's very into this positional play,” said O’Neill. “I'm learning it now, I didn't think I had to! It's necessary now to talk this language. The jumping, the low block, transitions – whoever started it off probably didn't know what it meant!”
Celtic and O’Neill have the Champions League play-off draw and the start of their Premiership title defence to look forward to on Monday. They are seeded and will face either LASK, Viking, Ararat/Celje, Ararat/Sabah or Levski Sofia/Kairat Almaty. “Every single one of them would have normal concerns for me," commented the manager.
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