Celtic coping without Calmac – The Ox and Bernardo to step up | OneFootball

Former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew believes Callum McGregor may be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines following his absence from the Glasgow Derby clash at the weekend…

The Hoops skipper was a notable omission from the squad that took on the Rangers on Sunday, with it later confirmed he had suffered a recurrence of the Achilles problem that troubled him last season.

No timeframe has yet been placed on the midfielder’s recovery, with Martin O’Neill stating that the injury will continue to be monitored and assessed over the coming days. However, Mulgrew has expressed concern that the issue could be more serious than initially feared.

He suggested that if the problem were only minor, McGregor would likely have pushed through the discomfort to feature in such a high-profile derby encounter.

Callum McGregor of Celtic reacts during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on February 01, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Speaking via The Breakdown podcast, Mulgrew said: “Apparently it’s his Achilles, I don’t know if that’s the recurring injury from last year. Achilles is notoriously an overuse injury. I don’t know how long (he’ll be out for) but knowing Cal, it wouldn’t be a week or ten days I imagine.”

“He wouldn’t miss a quarter-final at Ibrox for that. I fear it could be a few weeks and I’m not sure how Celtic can replace him.

“It’s annoying because I called for him to be rested against Stuttgart weeks ago. I would have genuinely rested him for the home game. I said it before the game and I said it before the away leg. You say ‘he’s fine, he’ll get through it’ but these games catch up with you.”

Charlie Mulgrew of Celtic Football Club looks on during the FC Bayern Legends Cup at SAP Garden on January 18, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

Mulgrew added: “At 32-years-old you can’t play 65 games in a season for Celtic, you just can’t. Callum’s the most robust player I’ve seen in terms of playing every minute and training every day. There’s only so much you can do. You need to take the decision out of the player’s hands.

“I’ve been there as a player when you don’t want to be taken out of the team and you think ‘I’m at my sharpest when I’m playing’. I think the manager needs to take him aside and say ‘although I don’t have anyone to replace you, I need to take one for the team and rest you’.”

“Not even just physically but mentally. To play for Celtic and be the captain, taking that pressure on your shoulders. You need to be rested.”

Kieran Tierney and Callum McGregor at Ibrox. Scottish Cup quarter final on Sunday 8 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

The other way of looking at this situation is that the medical team at Celtic flagged up the issue and gave their assessment that a serious injury could follow unless the Celtic captain is indeed rested. The gamble was there to take and Callum alongside Martin O’Neill took the tough decision not to play him at Ibrox at the weekend.

With constant medical assessments taking place a judgement call will be made on the necessary recovery and while that’s probably not likely to be this week or next we could see Callum back wearing the armband post split.

In terms of the Celtic midfield it was notable that both Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Paulo Bernardo acquitted themselves well at Ibrox on Sunday after coming off the bench. Both could have a crucial role over the next number of matches as we go without the incredibly important influence of Callum McGregor.

Conor Spence

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