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CALLUM McGregor predicted last night that leaving fellow midfielder Scott Brown out of Celtic’s side in the last two games could result in a Neil Lennon masterstroke in the William Hill Scottish Cup final tomorrow.
Preparation for tomorrow’s game against Hearts at Hampden has been dominated by speculation as to whether Parkhead captain Brown will rejoin the starting lineup or whether Ismaila Soro will retain his place.
Soro had an excellent performance in the middle of the park as the Glasgow club ended a disappointing streak and defeated Lille in the Europa League and Kilmarnock in the Premiership last week and many fans would like to see him involved from the start.
However, McGregor has heard that Brown was ruled many times before during the seven seasons he has played alongside him, and has seen him bounce back and silence his detractors each time.
The Scottish internationalist hopes his patron will catch up and have a point to prove to his skeptics when the rescheduled final begins.
“You discard it at your own risk,” he said. “He has that mentality. You don’t play for this club for 13 years, you have such a good career and you’re a winner so many times if you don’t have that mindset. It’s not possible.
“The number of times he has come back to prove people wrong speaks for itself. Every time someone says something about him, he comes back and plays even better. It could be a masterstroke.
“The thing about Broony is that he’s 35 years old. He could still play like he’s 26 as he’s full of energy. But you also have to remember their age. It is a great demand to play two or three games a week at a very high intensity, as we like to play, at a high pace, with a lot of pressure.
“He’s 35 years old, so that’s a great question. So you may have to handle it a little differently than previous seasons. But by no means is he starting to slow down. It’s just a case where the manager chooses and chooses the right moment to unleash it. ”
McGregor was impressed by how Soro, the Ivorian who joined Celtic in January, acquitted himself against Lille and Kilmarnock and is confident that both he and David Turnbull, who was also signed for those matches, will do well if they get the go-ahead. .
However, he has found criticism ridiculous of Brown, who was outstanding in a 2-0 win over Aberdeen in the semi-final at Hampden last month and will cheer up if he joins him in Lennon’s eleven.
“Broonie is a living legend at the club,” he said. “When he plays for the team, he has that aura. Carry the team, carry the responsibility. He is a great player for us and he will continue to be a great player for us.
“I have loved playing alongside him. I have learned a lot from him and I continue to do so every day in training. He’s someone for whom I have great, enormous respect.
“It is very easy when you are outside looking in. You can see he didn’t play for two games and Celtic won two games and say it’s his fault. Actually, there were a lot of differences in performance levels and overall gear.
“I think it’s a bit disrespectful when people say things like that when you look at what they have really done at this club. He has had a tremendously successful career and a few weeks ago in the semi-final he was possibly the best player on the field. He’s still in shape. ”
McGregor continued: “He’s been out for two games to refresh the team, Soro has come in and he’s done very well, he seems to have great potential. I’m sure you will continue to deliver on that if you keep working hard, keep your feet on the ground, and do all the right things.
“The amount of good players we have playing well is obviously an advantage for Celtic. It’s a call to the manager. I’m sure whoever plays on Sunday will be 100% ready to play. ”
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