When Scott Brown left Celtic in 2021, he left a massive void because of his character and the fact that he was the captain of the club.

That’s why Callum McGregor had big shoes to fill, but the Celtic midfielder has done an outstanding job and is now one of the most important figures inside the club.

Speaking on The Warm-Up, Brown lauded and applauded McGregor for being ‘the best pro there is’, while Chris Sutton admitted that he doubted the skipper.

The former Celtic striker explained that he questioned whether McGregor could deal with the physical nature of senior men’s football, but he has ‘proved me wrong.’

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Chris Sutton admits he thought Callum McGregor’s ‘physicality’ would cost him at Celtic.

Scott Brown: “Just all round, the best pro there is. Anything you ask Cal to do, he stays in, he has the same routine, plays the game, organises, lives and dies for Celtic, which is what you want, to be fair.”

Sutton: “He proved me wrong. In the early days, I wondered whether physically, he went to Notts County, didn’t he? He came back, and I thought, hmmm, physically in the midfield. Would he be able to hack it?

“He has had an incredible football career. A great football brain. Always wondered.”

Brown: “An unbelievable football brain. You saw glimpses; he was more of an attacker. Never going to be that sitter and stuff. Lovely left foot. Wanted to score goals and wanted to get into the box.

“But he was also a wee rat off the ball. He could get right after people. It was brilliant. Sharp, so quick over two or three yards, so explosive. But as you say, he wasn’t the most physical. He went away and worked so hard on that.

“He did. He was in the gym daily. He made sure. Because he knew the higher level that he went up against as well, in the Champions League, that you start to see people like 6ft 2 or 6ft 3. Physique unbelievable. They are athletes as well.”

McGregor’s Celtic career in numbers

At the age of 33, it’s pretty clear that McGregor is past his peak, and it doesn’t help that Celtic can’t string performances together.

But it shouldn’t hide the fact that he has been one of the best players and captains of Celtic’s modern era, and he is still going.

Yes, McGregor has been criticised in recent seasons, a lot more than previously, but he has still helped guide the Hoops to domestic doubles, as he proved last season.

That dramatic final day against Hearts will live long in the memory of many Celtic supporters, but what was interesting was the messages from the players, such as Kieran Tierney, about how much of an impact his skipper makes behind the scenes.

You can question McGregor’s ability on the pitch all you want, and he has lost that bit of spark and dominance, but the day he leaves Lennoxtown, that training ground won’t be the same on a day-to-day basis.

But so far, McGregor is still going, adding to his appearance tally, most importantly, still increasing his trophy count.