Opinion: Can Celtic squad player live up to comments of former manager?

Celtic midfielder James McCarthy had a pretty quiet first season at the club. The former Crystal Palace midfielder joined the Hoops in the summer transfer window, but was unable to hold down a permanent place in the first-team.

All in all, he made just 22 appearances for the Bhoys in season 2021/22, and he was mostly on the bench towards the end of the season as the Hoops closed in on the title.

What is interesting though, is that Billy Reid, the manager who gave him his first start in the game at Hamilton as a teenager, thinks that he will go on to have a big second season at Celtic Park.

“Keeping it simple as a possession-based player, winning the ball back and being that central cog is what he’s so good at. There is stiff competition but it doesn’t matter what age you are, age is not a barrier” he said, as quoted by the Daily Record.

“James just needs to get himself into the physical condition where he can do himself justice at Celtic and this summer can be a huge one for him” Reid stated.

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Reid is correct about age, as McCarthy is still just 31-years-old, and he has plenty of time still left in his career. The part about physical condition is also correct, as the player could feature for the Hoops more often if he can get a better grasp on his fitness.

The ‘central cog’ aspect of the article that Reid, who is now the assistant manager at Brighton, talks about, is very interesting, as that could be a role for McCarthy in the Champions League group stages for the Hoops.

If McCarthy can be a possession-based player for the Bhoys, winning the ball and giving it to his teammates in the middle of the park, that would be really useful in the