Captain Callum McGregor still loving the pressure after 400 games for Celtic

The responsibility of meeting the demands of Celtic and their supporters has never waned for Callum McGregor during his first 400 games for the club.

Manager Ange Postecoglou claimed his captain treated every game like it was his first after the midfielder hit the milestone during Sunday’s 2-0 win over Dundee United, which restored the champions’ nine-point lead in the cinch Premiership.

McGregor said: “I think when you pull on that jersey to play for this club, you are under pressure every single week.

“You give the best of yourself and you are judged to the highest of standards.

“So you bear that in mind every time you play for this club and these supporters, that you have to give your absolute maximum and that is what it should look like.”

The 29-year-old would not rule out aiming to emulate his predecessor as Celtic skipper, Scott Brown, who made 620 appearances for the club.

“That just shows you again how good he was for this club,” McGregor said. “A real iconic figure who looked after himself and was an ever-present for the club. That’s massive numbers and it’s a huge testament to him.

“But I’ve still got enough time. Hopefully if I stay fit and keep playing well and being hungry to have success and do all the right things, who knows where I will be in five or six years.

“You just look forward to the next one. It is done now. You look at the game back, see what you did well and what we could fix from it and then move on to Wednesday.

“That is the way you have got to treat it. In modern-day football now, you don’t get a chance to look back and see what you have achieved and it’s just the next game.

“As long as you have that mindset and you just put one foot in front of the other, that is how you rack up these kinds of numbers. So on to the next one.”

Postecoglou described it as a “privilege” to share a dressing room with McGregor given his drive and professionalism.

“It is always nice when people speak well about you, but the main guy you are trying to impression a daily basis is the manager,” the Scotland international said.

“He is the guy who picks the team, he is the guy who is heading the club, so for him to say nice things is a really good feeling.

“The gaffer doesn’t hand out praise too often, he likes to keep people on their toes.

“You know when you are doing well and when the manager picks you then you are doing something right.

“Sometimes when you praise people too much they become comfortable and he likes not letting that happen.

“It has worked well so far, so as long as we are winning and playing well then we are happy.”