Celtic ended up losing 4-3 against Rennes in a friendly game away in Portugal. All seven goals on the day came in the first half. For the Hoops, Matt O’Riley got himself a brace while Kyogo Furuhashi was on the scoresheet as well, and overall, it was a good run out in the park, as they prepare to return to club action soon.
With it being a friendly game, the result hardly matters, but the biggest boost from the day was the return of Callum McGregor to the pitch. And not only did the Celtic captain feature but he was in the starting XI as well.
As reported by Ouest France, McGregor was part of a three man midfield along with O’Riley and Reo Hatate to start off the game against Rennes.
McGregor has been out of action since picking up an injury in a game against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League, and it goes without saying that having him back in action is terrific new for Celtic.
Celtic handed major boost even though they lost to Rennes
It is safe to say that McGregor is one of the most important players in the current Celtic team and he has been for a long time.
It is hard to find someone in world football who produces performances at such a consistent level while playing as much as he does. And as a result, whenever he is out injured, it does have a negative impact on the team for sure.
At the end of the day, it must be said that Celtic’s performances did take a bit of a dip before the World Cup break, even though they continued to grind out results and hopefully, after McGregor’s return, they will be back at their blistering best when the season resumes. Welcome back, Captain Cal!