Callum McGregor injury latest: When does Celtic captain return to fitness?

Celtic suffered their first home defeat to Rangers in five years after falling to a 3-2 defeat at Parkhead against Barry Ferguson’s second placed side.

The Hoops were overwhelmed in the opening exchanges by Rangers intensity and aggression and surprisingly found themselves two goals down within 45 minutes, in a game which highlighted the absence of Callum McGregor’s leadership, calmness and composure to control proceedings in the middle of the park. As he has shown in many derby day matches over the years.

McGregor has spent 12 years of his career with his boyhood club since progressing through the highly esteemed academy and in 2021 was bestowed with the honour of becoming the club’s 22nd captain after club icon Scott Brown’s move to Aberdeen. He has been pivotal to the team’s success for more than a decade winning nine Scottish Premiership league titles, six Scottish Cups and eight League Cups while making the PFA Team of the Season on four occasions, including last term.

Why did Callum McGregor miss the Rangers game?

Callum McGregor had been struggling with a calf problem in the lead-up to last weekend's Old Firm showdown with Rangers. It marked the first matches he had missed across all competitions since a 2-0 victory over Dundee and a 3-0 triumph over Motherwell which both came in late October.

Rodgers told the BBC, ahead of the Rangers game “Callum we gave every chance to make it but he felt a tightness in his calf yesterday when he was training the final session.So, it was too big a risk to put him in and put him out for much longer and also he felt like he couldn’t really function how he would normally.”

The midfielder wasn't the only notable absentee from the derby day loss, with Celtic defensive duo Liam Scales and Auston Trusty also missing out with injury problems of their own.

Trusty is also believed to be nursing a calf problem and was recently withdrawn from international duty by Mauricio Pochettino in the build-up to USA’s all-important Concacaf Nations League semi-final clash with Panama.

When is Callum McGregor back from injury?

Celtic are set to welcome back skipper Callum McGregor from injury after the international break, according to Sun Sport.The 31-year-old retired from Scotland international duty in the summer to focus on his Celtic career and has ample time to recover ahead of the Hoops’ upcoming home match with Hearts as they look to return to winning ways and wrap up this season’s title race.

Sun Sport report that the influential skipper McGregor will be available in the squad for that contest and that the experienced midfielder will return to full training in the near future.

McGregor has scored eight goals in 27 appearances this term, marking his best goalscoring return from a league campaign since 2019/20 when he found the net nine times.

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