Rodgers has already found the new Celtic McGregor in Teen Star

Celtic provided the perfect answer to their 3-2 defeat against their rivals before international rupture with a 3-0 victory against Hearts in Parkhead on Saturday.

The hoops had allowed their advance at the top of the Scottish Première Table to reduce to 13 points by losing against the Rangers, but immediately rebounded with a convincing victory over the Jam Tarts.

Daizen Maeda took his count for the season at 30 goals In all competitions for the Bhoys with his two strikes against Hearts, while Jota added another goal to his collection since his return to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

While many will focus on the attackers who were exposed, while Jota and Maeda made the headlines with their objectives, the presence of Callum McGregor in the middle of the park was just as important.

Why the performance of Callum McGregor was important for Celtic

The Retired Scottish International missed 3-2 defeat against the Rangers before breaking the injury and returned to show the hoops what they missed with a sublime screen in the midfield.

The Celtic captain aligned himself alongside Reo Hatate and Arne Engels in the midfield three against Hearts on Saturday and stood out as a star interpreter in this area of ​​the land.

As you can see in the table above, McGregor has surpassed its positional peers in the match with its exceptional use of the ball and its defensively reliability.

This illustrates why its display was so important for Brendan Rodgers Against hearts because it highlights the quality it brings and beyond possession.

The star of the left foot provides a metronomic presence at the base of the midfielder for Celtic with its ability to finish the passes effectively under pressure, completing 94% of its passes overall in the division this season.

McGregor, who Complete 73 passes According to the match on average, the games can control for the hoops by dictating the tempo of matches with its quality of pass, while frustrating the opposition teams because of its press resistance on the ball, forcing them to fall back more deeply.

This is part of the reason why Celtic fought without their captain when they faced the Rangers to Parkhead before the break, because Engels is not best suited to this role as number six.

Why Arne Engels fought against the Rangers

The former Augsburg star began at the base of the midfielder, with Luke McCowan and Hatate in the Eight number, and fought against the Gers.

Engels is generally responsible for playing as one of the most advanced fields, which seeks to score and create goals, but had to participate in a deeper role against the Rangers because of the injury of his captain.

As you can see in the table above, the Belgian international failed to comply with the standards that the skipper has set for this position in possession or out of possession, losing the ball far too frequently and offering little protection to the four rear.

The 21 -year -old starlet should not be supposed to be as effective in this role, because he is a player concerned with the attack who has a future as eight number for Celtic, rather than an in -depth conductor of the game.

Engels has accumulated Ten goals and 12 assists In all the competitions for the Scottish giants this term, which shows that it has excelled in its natural game – mark and create objectives.

The former Bundesliga Whiz is not the long -term successor of McGregor, because it is not his natural game, and that is why he fought in the match against the Rangers before the break.

Rodgers, however, may have already found his next version of the Celtic captain by bringing Jude Bonnar, the 19-year-old Starlette.

Why Jude Bonnar could be the next Callum McGregor

The teenage dynamo was in the match team five times in all competitions since the beginning of February and have obtained Ten minutes from the bench In a 5-1 victory against Aberdeen in first.

This ten -minute cameo, in which the international Scotland U21 all finished Four of his attemptswas his first team debut for the hoops and the manager spoke at his ability to the team after the match.

Rodgers said to the Daily Record: “He has a good profile and corresponds to the way we want to play. He is therefore a nice little tastor for him.”

This suggests that the boss of Northern Ireland sees the potential in Bonnar and thinks that the talent of adolescents has technical skills and know-how to suit how his team is composed, with a number six and two eight in a midfielder.

The star of team B, whose capacity was described as “incredible” By former coach Alan McGrillen, spoke to Celtic TV after the match and admitted that He admitted McGregor As a model, due to the way he acts on and off the field every day.

Bonnar has already shown a small overview of its metronomic qualities, completing 100% of its passes in its cameo against Aberdeen, and Rodgers could try to help it develop and refine this ability to shape it in the new version of McGregor in the future.

The young Scottish also showed the potential to offer a threat of objective, as the captain with Eight goals in 28 The league corresponds to this term, with a return of Ten goals in 46 B team games.

This is only the start of the road to Bonnar, however, and it still has a lot of time to progress as a player and forge his own path in the game, let’s hope it at Celtic.

The very first signs, however, are that the potential is there to become McGregor 2.0 for Rodgers as a star of the composed and controlling midfielder who can also provide a threat of objective.