Kasper Schmeichel hailed as fearless Celtic game-changer and his berating of Matt O'Riley catches leader's eye

There's a certain mentality required in order to truly excel in any sporting field.

Sometimes it’s not enough just to want to win. The very best demand it to such an extent that they cannot tolerate the thought of anything less. It’s no respecter of reputations. Nor does it think twice about ruffling feathers or bruising egos if that’s what the moment dictates. It’s a mindset to which Callum McGregor needs no introduction. Celtic’s skipper has been conditioned into knowing instinctively what it takes to lead a side to one trophy after the next.

Which is why he allowed himself a smile during the heat of the battle in North Carolina the other week when he heard new boy Kasper Schmeichel letting rip at Matt O’Riley for making a mistake in a friendly against Manchester City. In that fiery split-second, McGregor knew a kindred spirit had just announced himself to Celtic’s leadership group. And the more he sees of his new keeper in the flesh, the more he’s convinced the same internal fire is stoking Schmeichel up for what lies ahead.

McGregor said: “It’s brilliant to have Kasper at the club. I’ve said this for years and years, it can’t just be one player driving the whole thing. It’s impossible, there is too much going on with too many players to deal with. You need five or six leaders to take the share of that responsibility.

“You’ll find with the best teams, they have that amount of guys who are really good leaders. We have that. There’s Cameron Carter-Vickers, Greg Taylor, Alistair Johnston and now Kasper – all these guys are sharing the responsibility of driving the standards every single day. It makes my job easier, for sure. When you have characters who think the same as you, guys who want to push and win things, with