Callum McGregor insists there isn’t a player in the whole of Europe who plays the inverted full-back role better than Greg Taylor and is hoping he remains at Celtic beyond this season.
Taylor’s current deal at the Scottish champions expires in the summer and he has been at the centre of speculation regarding his future for months.
But Hoops captain McGregor remains hopeful that a deal can be done to keep him at Parkhead and says he is invaluable to how they play.
Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney has signed a pre-contract agreement to return to Celtic next season, and is expected to be first choice in that position.
However, in terms of the inverted role favoured by Brendan Rodgers and former Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou, McGregor believes Taylor is up there with the very best.
He said: “I’ve spoken about it a few times, and obviously I speak to Greg as well, I know how important he is and what he brings to the team.
“There are very few players in Europe that I’ve seen who play that position (inverted full-back) better than him, and it gives the team a different dynamic as well.
“He gives everything for the club every single day, he’s vocal in the dressing room and helps to drive the standards and takes responsibility.
“So I’d love nothing more than for the club to get him tied down (on a longer contract).
“He’s been a huge part of our success, especially since we have started playing with an inverted full-back and, like I said, I don’t think there is anyone else in Europe right now who is doing it better.
“He is a top player and I would love to see him stay at the club.”
Celtic have the chance to clinch their fourth Premiership title in a row this weekend when they take on Dundee United at Tannadice.
If they avoid defeat against Jim Goodwin’s men then they will be crowned champions yet again and take another step towards a ninth domestic treble.
McGregor is excited for the opportunity to get over the line and insists continued success just makes them hungry for more.
The 31-year-old will lift the title for a tenth time at the end of this season, and he says every one is as special as the last.
He said: “We are obviously really excited. We have prepared really well. We have a really good opportunity to cross the finish line, and that will be the culmination of all the hard work we have put in since pre-season and it will make it all worth it.
“Every league title is special, for ten or eleven months of the season everything you do is about football and trying to be successful, so once you manage that it is a really nice feeling.
“I think our success in recent years has desensitised people on the outside to how difficult it really is (to win all domestic trophies) and it just becomes expected, it becomes the norm, but as players we have to live with that as it is the standards that we have set.
“With the level of the squads and players we have had here over the last decade, we have been a really successful team so every year the expectation is there and it just grows and grows.
“It can be difficult to live up to that, but the players enjoy it as well.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
