When Brendan Rodgers first arrived at Celtic, Callum McGregor was an eager-to-please, quick learning and hard-grafting young midfielder with 65 appearances, a third of those from the bench, 11 goals and three medals to his name.

Fast forward to the Irishman returning to manage the club once more, and that same 23-year-old midfielder is now the club captain with 420 games, 62 goals and an astounding TWENTY winner’s medals at the top level under his belt in the relatively short time since then – plus he’s an integral cog and the fulcrum of a resurgent Scottish national side

The fact that McGregor became basically an ever-present in the side during the Irishman's first reign shows his standing in the manager’s mind, and it can’t be complete coincidence that McGregor’s upwardly mobile curve has mirrored that of the team's success - the team that Brendan Rodgers now returns to after kick-starting that success.

Now, when McGregor returns to the fray following international duty and the summer break, he and his team-mates will take to the Lennoxtown pitches under the watchful eye of Brendan Rodgers, and that’s something he’s looking forward to.

The skipper told Celtic TV in an exclusive interview when asked about the return of his mentor: “Obviously the guys at the top of the club have been working really hard and relentlessly to make this happen.

“You become aware of it at the start of last week and there’s been a lot of chat, and a lot of good work done to get it over the line.

'It’s great that we’ve managed to get him back and it’s obviously a really positive step for the club, it’s a real statement of intent.'

“The guys that were here the last time really enjoyed working with him and under him, it was a really successful period.

“But just in terms of him coming back in, it’s important that we draw that line and it’s now about what we can achieve together moving forward for this new group as well.”

McGregor: Brendan can make the team and the individual within the team better