Celtic captain Callum McGregor has addressed his future at the club, making his stance clear.
There has been a lot of talk in the media recently, with rumoured interest in the skipper from Saudi Arabia, where former manager Brendan Rodgers now takes charge of a team.
He claims that he has 'made his feelings known' to the Hoops board, and has clarified what the club must do if he is to remain there.
Speaking on Friday, he said: "We’ve already had that conversation [ with the board]. I’ve made my feelings known that I want to be here, so it’s kind of on the club.
"I’ve always been the same. I want to be at Celtic, as long as the club want me there and as long as the club’s ambition matches my own in terms of playing at the highest level. For probably half the time I’ve been here, we’ve been playing in the Champions League or been in the Europa League, which is a really good standard of football as well.
"We have to continue to push and be as good as we can possibly be. I don’t want to sit here and be a Celtic captain who’s not winning anything. I’ve been very honest with everyone in that conversation. The people inside the club know it. If we’re not going to be the best version of Celtic, then I don’t want to be the guy who’s not winning any trophies. That’s not me and not who I am.
"We should have been, and could’ve been, a Champions League club this year. We missed out on penalties. We had five chances in extra time to score over there against Kairat Almaty, and we didn’t. It’s not to say we’re not a Champions League club any more, or we are.
"We just have to aim to be as good as we can be in every area. Can we sign the best players that we can in each position?"
Offering a final statement on the matter, McGregor said: "I want to be here, so let’s try and find a solution to that first. If the club don’t want me to be here, then I won’t be here, it’s as simple as that."
He also touched on the disaster of a season that the Hoops have been having. He said: "I don’t want to speak too soon, but it’s like you’re one result away really from being top of the league and being right in the conversation.
"So, despite the circus this year, all the noise, we’re still only three points off the leaders. That kind of tells you where it’s at."
McGregor offers injury update
There has been a lot of discussion over whether McGregor has been fully fit recently, with him seemingly not performing at his best. O'Neill admitted that he has been having some problems, but now, the captain has clarified that he has recovered.
He said: "I'm alright now. It was just over the last couple of games.
"It's just been a wee issue to manage, but this week's been much better. So all good, good to go. It's settled well, actually. So, not quite as serious, but also, there wasn't much training over the last couple of weeks, but managing to get available for the games and play the games, which is obviously the most important part of this stage of the season.
"So I've turned the wheel corner this week, feeling a lot better. So hopefully the next five games we'll be able to fly through."
A fully fit McGregor will be a major boost for the club, so hopefully, he manages to stay fit. He is clearly eager to keep giving his all for the club, so let's hope that we can win a title so we have something to show for a difficult campaign.
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