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 has already shown enough he can have a huge future at Parkhead – as well as being one for the present. There might need to be a little more patience shown in the short term, but, boy it could end up worth it. McCowan’s impact at the weekend was one of a fair few on a day when Celtic showed off the embarrassment of riches in their squad.
Rodgers made six changes to the Club Brugge Champions League line-up and his team was every bit as strong. Celtic don’t have fringe men or back ups. They have ready-made first-team players who are itching to prove they should be in the side every week.
Four of them – McCowan, Bernardo, Adam Idah and Liam Scales – were all on target in a first half demolition job, with McGregor weighing in with another long range rocket to leave the Highlanders in a heap by the break. It was some flex by Rodgers and his men.
There was a clamour from some fans to see Bernardo in the side with Arne Engels having a couple of tough nights on the bounce. The Portuguese playmaker lived up to the hype. It would be no surprise to see him getting a run over the next few hectic weeks to allow Engels to catch his breath.
But now Reo Hatate might be feeling McCowan breathing down his neck as well. And that is quite something given Hatate on his day is one of the best players in the country. It’s the same all over the pitch. Alex Valle can’t be far off securing his spot at left-back.
Idah admitted himself he hadn’t quite hit the heights of last season after he returned on a permanent deal for big money in the summer. But he had a different look about him on Saturday. He took his goal superbly but it was his all round selfless display that would have thrilled his boss – along with the swagger coming back. Scales has done nothing wrong and has only slipped out of the side because of the impressive displays from Auston Trusty.
James Forrest is at the stage where he won’t be banging on Rodgers’ door if he’s not starting but will always answer the call and make his usual impact. All of this explains why it could be such a jolly festive season for the Celtic manager. He knows it too. A year ago Santa was getting pelters in these parts and all the talk was about the desperate need for reinforcements in the January window. It wasn’t lost on Rodgers that back in January, his side were booed off after a 1-0 WIN against Ross County that was so boring it made the eyes bleed.
Eleven months on, fans couldn’t take their peepers off this one for a second as the Hoops turned it on in some style. County were fairly woeful but you had to feel for them. An early opener often proves fatal in these fixtures. And in fairness, they showed some spirit after the break not to completely crumble.
Sub keeper Jack Hamilton – on for the crocked Ross Laidlaw just before the interval – did his best to keep the score down on a day when the chat over half-time pies was hitting double figures. There just doesn’t look like any stopping the Hoops juggernaut right now. The winter fixture list is going to hurt squads and rivals Aberdeen and Rangers are going to have to dip into their reserves.
But Celtic don’t have reserves – they have a first-team pool of almost 20 players and any of them can start on any given day. And that is before Rodgers draws up his shopping list for Santa. Noddy Holder might wish it could be Christmas every day, but it’s starting to seem that way for Celtic.
