Billy Stark names his pick to be the next Celtic captain

Celtic will look very different this season now that Scott Brown will be playing for Aberdeen. That means that his successor will soon have to be named.

It’s going to be a tough task, replacing one of the greatest captains in the history of the club. And his successor will have to do a tremendous job as a leader in order to fill Brown’s legendary boots at Parkhead.

The decision will lie with Ange Postecoglou and there are certainly a couple of interesting choices, when it comes to the future of the armband.

As reported by the Daily Record, former Celtic player, assistant manager and caretaker, Billy Stark, believes that Callum McGregor should be the man to get the armband next:

"“When you look back over the years and the talismanic captains Celtic have had from the greatest Billy McNeill and moving up to my time when Roy Aitken had the armband and then Paul McStay – if you look at the quality of player and person that have held that honour then I think Callum will fit into that nicely.“He has a terrific personality, is a great professional and it’s no great surprise to me he’s in line for this honour.”"

Of course, Stark points out that when it comes to personality, McGregor is different to Brown but he has a steely determination and the ability to lead by example:

"“Some might say he’s not the archetypal captain like Scott Brown – the vocal, heart on sleeve type.“Scott certainly filled that role for the last few years and actually thrived on confrontation which in the early part of his career cost him a bit but he learned how to control it.“Callum hasn’t got that but you still see on the pitch that he has a steely determination.“He is not shy in telling people if they’re not doing their jobs and that’s what you want in a captain.“But of course you want someone to lead by example in terms of their standard of play. And Callum very much fills that bracket.”"

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Will McGregor be the next Celtic captain?

He certainly seems like the most likely candidate to get the role. When Brown was not playing last season, it was McGregor who stepped in to wear the armband.

There are other senior members of the team who are possible candidates to get the armband, like James Forrest, but at the end of the day, it does seem like McGregor is the favourite to get the role.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to Postecoglou. And while it remains to be seen what decision the new manager takes, it will certainly be a surprise if somebody other than McGregor is handed the armband.

Whoever the next captain ends up being will need to make their mark on the role quickly and step out of the shadow of Brown that is almost certain to be there early in the season at least. Thus, it will be important to establish their own personality as the captain of the club. Of course, the best way to do that will be to lead with performances and results.