The three certainties in life are death, taxes and Callum McGregor playing more games than everyone else.
The desire to put his body through every minute of every match has always been the Celtic captain’s biggest strength. And the biggest threat to his hopes of playing until he’s 40.
In 2021-22, he marked his first season as Parkhead skipper by playing 59 games, winning a domestic Treble and ending the campaign as PFA Scotland’s player of the year.
Another clean sweep of trophies followed last season when he played 53 matches in all competitions.
This current campaign has seen the appearances slip to a mere 45 games. An Achilles condition now raises questions over his ability to reach another half century.
At full pelt, the 30-year-old would feature in Steve Clarke’s starting 11 against the hosts in the opening game of the Euros on June 14.
Rodgers relies on McGregor as his on-field lieutenant at Celtic
![McGregor makes his presence felt during recent Scottish Cup semi final with Aberdeen](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/03/15/84422475-0-image-a-2_1714747745336.jpg)
McGregor makes his presence felt during recent Scottish Cup semi final with Aberdeen
![Callum McGregor scores against Croatia in the last Euro finals in 2021](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/03/15/84422379-0-image-a-4_1714747795710.jpg)
Callum McGregor scores against Croatia in the last Euro finals in 2021
![McGregor celebrates his equaliser but Scots went on to lose 3-1 to Croats at Hampden](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/03/15/84422299-0-image-a-5_1714747809750.jpg)
McGregor celebrates his equaliser but Scots went on to lose 3-1 to Croats at Hampden
Watching him toil at Dens Park last Sunday, he looked a pale imitation of the twinkle-toed technician who helped Scotland get to Germany in the first place.
Tetchy and nervous over the title run-in, Celtic fans are now asking if Brendan Rodgers can gamble on starting his main man in the biggest games of the season.
And if he’s struggling to get up to speed in the Scottish Premiership, how does he go toe-to-toe with the world’s best players at Euro 2024?
When Toni Kroos played *that* pass for Real Madrid on Tuesday night, it offered a sobering reminder of the levels Clarke’s team have to hit in the opening game and every game after that.
Kroos and Co would be a hell of an ask for Scotland players at the peak of form and fitness. At 60 per cent, it’s Mission Impossible.
If he hasn’t already, then, Brendan Rodgers might feel the need to summon his on-field lieutenant to his office at Lennoxtown to conduct a grown-up conversation over what happens next.
No-one wants to be the bad guy in these situations. McGregor is an outstanding professional who doesn’t want to let his country down. Realistically, another appearance at a major international tournament might never come around again. Germany might be his last roll of the dice and, in the final weeks of the season, he *might* find the missing spark.
For his part, Rodgers won’t want to rob a valued player of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When anyone asks, the Parkhead boss repeats the line that McGregor needs carefully-managed minutes to get back to full throttle. The minute his skipper boards a flight to Germany, he loses all control of the process.
When a 34-year-old Steven Gerrard retired from international football in 2014, Rodgers was Liverpool manager and called it ‘great news’.
By 2018 he was in charge of Celtic and used the same words when Scott Brown quit Scotland for the first time at the age of 31. After a brief return, Brown finally called it quits at 32 and the Northern Irishman voiced his approval.
Football clubs are now multi-million pound corporate entities with a duty to protect the interests of shareholders.
And, privately, Celtic must be asking themselves if sending their most senior player to put his strained limbs on the line at the Euros is the best use of their resources.
Even if Scotland return home at the end of the group stage – and they usually do – the rest time before next season is painfully short. If surgery is an option and Champions League qualifiers lie in wait, it makes sense to act sooner rather than delay.
The last Scotland player to score at a major finals, McGregor’s willingness to flog his aching limbs through 50-odd games a season is relentless. But someone, sometime has to protect him from himself.
![Midfielder McGregor is the most influential man on the pitch for Parkhead side](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/03/15/84422415-0-image-a-6_1714747832039.jpg)
Midfielder McGregor is the most influential man on the pitch for Parkhead side
Already missing Lewis Ferguson and with several others recovering from injury, no-one wants to see Steve Clarke lose another of his best players.
Scott McTominay’s knee scare last week only added to a growing apprehension over Scotland’s fragile squad.
Players are falling like flies and even a half-fit Callum McGregor feels better than no Callum McGregor at all.
That’s no use to Celtic, of course. Or a manager some supporters still can’t forgive for that unfortunate business with Leicester or the fact he isn’t Ange Postecoglou.
His current Celtic side have been a tough watch blighted by poor recruitment. A squad of variable quality have made a meal of retaining the league title. In Europe, they’re under pressure to start inflicting a bloody nose or two.
Find a way over the line in the coming weeks and the money is there for Rodgers to raise standards and make Celtic the team they should be. The task becomes a lot harder if the demands of playing at the Euros render Callum McGregor a sidelined passenger.