Celtic go 'pushing' player with major potential towards summer switch after 'highest of highs' to brutal low

Dane Murray hopes Queen’s Park can be a career platform for him after leaving Celtic on a season-long loan.

Hopes were high for the defender in the Ange Postecoglou era, starting games in Champions League qualification early in his tenure. But a cruciate ligament injury set him back but he did feature in pre-season plans under current gaffer Brendan Rodgers.

Now he has signed for Callum Davidson’s Spiders at Lesser Hampden, impressing on his debut, a 1-1 draw vs Livingston on Friday night. The move was one the Premiership champions pushed Murray to get, and the centre-back reckons it’s the best thing for him right now.

He believes Queen’s Park can give him the games he desperately needs. Murray said: “When Queen's Park came in for me, Celtic were pushing for me to come here. I think this is the best place for me at this stage of my career.

"I need to play games and Queen's Park can give me that. You don't play football to train. You want to play games on a Friday or Saturday, whenever it is. The Championship is a good standard and a tight league. You need to come somewhere where you are going to be challenged.

"It feels like a lifetime ago I made my debut for Celtic, but it was only three years ago. I had the highest of highs playing in the Champions League and then about six months after that, I had the lowest of lows when I did my cruciate the first time. It can happen that way in football, but you have to pick yourself up and go again."

Davidson was full of praise post-match for his defender. He told club media: “I’ve got to say Dane was outstanding. He’s a young man with huge potential. We’re delighted we got him in. He’s very close to Celtic here, they can keep an eye on him.

“We think he’s got enormous potential. If he plays like he did today, there’s only one way Dane is going to go and that’s up the way. Hopefully we can see more performances like that.”