Martin O’Neill plans transfer talks with captain Callum McGregor | OneFootball

Martin O’Neill plans to sit down with Callum McGregor during pre-season after the Celtic captain’s recent change of agency prompted fresh speculation over his long-term future.

McGregor has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent months, while comments he made in April about matching his ambitions led to suggestions he could consider leaving Celtic.

O’Neill, however, believes those remarks have been taken out of context and insists the midfielder has given him no indication that he wants to move on.

The Celtic boss told Daily Record “Sometimes those things get lost in translation a little bit.

“I don’t think he meant it as bad as that. I know I used to do that myself as a player – ‘Had the club matched my ambition?’, and then I found out I wasn’t in the team. That’s what Brian Clough used to do.

“I haven’t had a conversation with him. I will do during the course of pre-season, see how he’s fixed. He was terrific for us, absolutely terrific.

“He’s been a really good captain anyway, but last season, right from the start, from the first time that I came in in late October, until right to the end of the season with the second spell, I thought he was brilliant.

“He is really important to us in many aspects because he knows the football club. It’s a bit like Paul Lambert, Neil Lennon, people like this.

“Sometimes when you bring in young lads who, like even the Colombian [new signing Camilo Duran], maybe they’ve heard of Celtic but not really know what [it’s about]. I think that’s all you need is half an hour with Callum to let them know.”

The Scotland international recently joined Unique Sports Group, the agency that also represents former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, now in charge of Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah. While O’Neill acknowledged the switch, he stressed there has been no request from McGregor to leave.

“Apparently so,” the 74-year old said.

“He hasn’t hinted to me he wants to leave at this minute. That would be a bad blow. But sometimes money is a big thing, particularly when you’re past 30.

“I will have a chat with him. He hasn’t brought it up at this moment, so maybe if he doesn’t speak to me, it’ll be all right.

“But if he does, I will tell him that we want him at the football club. But obviously if something comes in that is just mind-boggling for him, that becomes a different issue.”

Elsewhere, O’Neill discussed changes to his backroom team following Gavin Strachan’s departure to West Bromwich Albion, with Ross Grant arriving from Hearts as Celtic’s first dedicated set-piece coach.

Grant earned plaudits after helping Hearts become one of the Premiership’s strongest teams from dead-ball situations last season, and O’Neill believes his appointment reflects the growing importance of specialist coaching.

The Irishman said: “I don’t know whether we headhunted him. I think his contract was up. Mark Fotheringham knows him and I think when it became available, I wanted to do it.

“And with Gavin Strachan leaving, it opened up a spot for that.”

The Celtic manager admitted his own views on set-piece specialists have evolved and hopes Grant’s expertise can give the team another edge this season.

O’Neill continued: “If you’d said to me like ten years ago about set-piece coaches, maybe I would have thought well, that’s all part of your thing.

“It’s interesting, when you step into it, and you find out the length of time that you have.

“I think that Ross has proved himself at Hearts as well. I want him part of the whole thing. It would be nice to share some ideas with him.

“Just to spend some time each day concentrating on that particular thing, while all the boys are doing something else, and then we’ll go through it. Hopefully it will improve us.

“Because my belief is that set-pieces are so, so important defensively and offensively.”

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