This Celtic juggernaut doesn't do second class and it's scary to think Rodgers is now drawing up a special list

It was like Christmas had come early for Luke McCowan when he was snapped up by Celtic on transfer deadline day.

But the midfielder is turning into the gift that keeps on giving for Brendan Rodgers. McCowan has had to be patient for opportunities with a stellar list of playmakers all scrapping it out for starting places in the side. Yet the former Dundee lad has still managed to rack up 10 appearances since August – and has barely put a foot wrong.

Anyone who watched Dundee in recent times will have known he was a player. But Celtic fans who were more in the dark are finding themselves more than pleasantly surprised by the quality he brings. And he’s given Rodgers one heck of a happy headache. McCowan was sensational as Celts ran amok against Ross County. A goal and three assists is good going, but his display was far more than just numbers.

McCowan was at the heart of everything. He demanded the ball in areas tighter than Buchanan Galleries on Black Friday. He hassled County rivals on the rare occasions they had possession, and he dovetailed with Callum McGregor and Paulo Bernardo like the three of them went to nursery together. No wonder he got a standing ovation when he departed the scene after 70 minutes. McCowan has been a kid in a candy shop since joining his boyhood heroes. But don’t be fooled. He’s not just at the club to tick the bucket list and make up the numbers.

And he’s going the right way about it. The 26-year-old joked after the game how he asks captain McGregor 20 million questions a day in his constant quest to improve. Well, he might be answering a big one himself – like, who is the heir to the McGregor throne?

The skipper at 31 has plenty of miles left in the tank, but at five years younger, McCowan