Celtic’s star performs admirably on international duty, earning man of the match honors in a multi-goal thriller

Celtic captain Callum McGregor last night time earned man of the fit in Scotland’s 3-3 draw with Norway.

McGregor played 89 minutes for Steve Clarke’s side, and his strike in the first half of hit the arm of Norwegian winger Aron Donnum, leading to a penalty for Scotland. John McGinn lightly slotted it domestic to stage the game 1-1.

The Celtic midfielder was once ever-present in the center of the park and led by means of example, controlling the recreation for large portions, in spite of Norway scoring twice in the first 20 minutes.

McGregor aimed to control possession from deep, showcasing a talent he regularly employs for Celtic. This approach facilitated Scott McTominay and John McGinn in pushing forward from the middle of the park.

Greg Taylor and Nathan Patterson were also in a position to move forward overlapping excessive up the pitch when in possession, with McGregor protective the defence. This help allowed Scotland to attack, and the Celtic captain defended flippantly in opposition to counter-attacks.

McGregor has been stable for each Scotland and Celtic during the season, regardless of playing two video games a week for the majority of the year for both club and country.

🗣️ “We’re on the right track.”

Hear from tonight’s @EE Player of the Match, Callum McGregor, as he reflects on tonight’s draw, and our campaign as a whole, before looking ahead at what’s to come. #SCONOR pic.twitter.com/NnYBIHyjy8

— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) November 19, 2023

What makes McGregor a robust maintaining midfielder for the Bhoys is his capacity to drop deep and take the ball from defenders in high-pressure situations. Additionally, his passing range is outstanding, as he can cut open opposition defences from deep.

The Celtic captain still holds the distinction of being the solely Scotland player to score at a principal tournament considering former Celtic midfielder Craig Burley did so towards Norway in 1998 at the World Cup.

He has performed a pivotal position in back-to-back skills for the European Championship with his countrywide side.

Brendan Rodgers will be delighted to have McGregor back from global responsibility and he will definitely lead by instance again, against Motherwell on Saturday at Celtic Park.

Celtic are reportedly interested in signing a £200,000-per-week winger

Celtic are involved in bringing Al-Ittihad winger Jota lower back to Celtic Park.

That is according to 90min, which has claimed that Jota should depart his membership in the January switch window.

So, what is being stated about Celtic and Jota? Let’s take a look.

What’s the story?

Well, according to 90min, Al-Ittihad winger Jota may want to be on the go in the January switch window.

The Portuguese winger joined the Saudi Pro League membership from Celtic in the summer time of 2023.

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Al-Ittihad paid Celtic £25 million in switch fees for the winger and are paying the 24-year-old £200,000 per week as salary.

Jota is not enjoying any domestic games for Al-Ittihad and has performed twice in the AFC Champions League. 90min has claimed that Celtic are “in the running to re-sign the winger”.

My View: Jota will not go lower back to Celtic

In my opinion, Celtic will not be able to sign Jota in the January transfer window.

First of all, any deal involving Celtic would be a mortgage deal. There is no way that the Hoops would be capable to come up with the money for a transfer charge as properly as pay the Portuguese star’s weekly profits of £200,000.

Why would Al-Ittihad be willing to ship a participant they signed for £25 million just a few months ago to go on mortgage in January and additionally cowl most of his wages?

If the Saudi Arabian membership do strike a loan deal with any club, then they are likely to ask them to pay Jota’s weekly earnings of £200,000.

I in my opinion do no longer assume that Jota will want to go returned to Celtic. After all, he has achieved all he should for the Hoops.

There is interest in Jota from Premier League golf equipment Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. I accept as true with that the winger would be more tempted to cross to England than return to Scotland.

Jota wants to return to Celtic despite his regrets about his £25 million Saudi move

Former Celtic winger Jota is pushing for a return to the Scottish Champions. The 24-year-old has regrets over making the change in the summer season for Al Ittihad. Incoming boss Marcelo Gallardo will look to put his personal stamp on the group and that may additionally encompass transferring on the Portuguese attacker.

As pronounced by So3ody Sports, a Saudi outlet with the aid of Record Sport, Jota regrets making the go – which was once in simple terms financial. The go rapidly soured when he used to be no longer included in their squad list, limiting him to ACL and Domestic Cup squads only.

Al Ittihad possibly don’t see a great deal to lose from slicing a participant that they’ve only currently spent tens of tens of millions of kilos on. The Jeddah membership will in all likelihood look to free up a area for another identify from Europe that garners greater fanfare – like Fabinho, Kante and Benzema.

For Jota, though, he’s in no-man’s land. He left Celtic for a moneymaking concept however no one will be capable or inclined to match these wages in Europe. Celtic may want to be a route back to football however it seems some distance fetched. Brendan Rodgers has already said that he wants the club to deliver in fantastic and Jota would sincerely be in that category.

In eighty three appearances for Celtic, Jota has scored 28 desires and assisted 26 times. The Celtic supporters adore the Portuguese megastar and if there was a danger at a return then we’d fortunately welcome this. Ange Postecoglou and Spurs have also been linked as being involved and you would have to think about that there would be a few clubs fascinated in bringing him in from the cold.

‘Not easy’: Celtic’s £2.5m ace has another ‘disappointing’ international performance

£2.5 million Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-Gyu nonetheless hasn’t scored for his u . s . with some other barren trip for South Korea ‘disappointing’ the talented frontman.

Heading out to Asia on the lower back of two goals in Celtic’s 6-0 obliteration of Aberdeen over the weekend, Oh Hyeon-Gyu’s confidence was once genuinely high ahead of Thursday’s World Cup qualification clash with Singapore.

Though as his 20 minute cameo came and went – South Korea storming to a 5-0 win but Oh once once more failing to get on the scoresheet – the Celtic striker found himself trudging off the pitch with a acquainted sense of regret.

Celtic’s Oh Hyeon-Gyu nonetheless waiting for South Korea goal

“It’s unfortunate. There hasn’t been a goal for the countrywide crew yet,” Oh sighs, speakme to Sports G. “It’s disappointing.”

Oh’s lack of desires is truly now not for a lack of trying. Earning his seventh cap for Jurgen Klinsmann’s side, the Celtic supporters will now not have been amazed to examine that the former Suwon Bluewings frontman performed with normal intensity and drive off the bench, albeit without getting the rewards his endeavour deserved.

“It is natural for an attacker to wait with hunger,” Oh adds. “I had to hold moving, questioning that one out of ten times, (the chance) would come to me. I suppose I need to make positive I can score a goal as quickly as possible.

“It’s not easy.”

Things searching up at Hoops

Oh, who joined Celtic in January, has three goals in his last 4 appearances at club level, his recent displays silencing these who felt the 22-year-old was fighting a dropping battle attempting to prove himself underneath Brendan Rodgers.

“I am enjoying as a substitute at Celtic, and I am also playing as a substitute for the countrywide team,” Oh adds, determined to focal point on the positives.

“My body is in exact circumstance after my injury. I am geared up at any time. I am confident about being a replacement or starting player.”

Celtic are reportedly searching to deliver in every other Far Eastern talent in the New Year, Nurnberg’s Japanese playmaker Kanji Okunuki on their radar.

‘Amaizing’: Pundit believes Celtic have a 22-year-old player who is ‘frightening’

Celtic have a quantity of players proper now who are continuing to provoke pundits, media people and fans this season.

Luis Palma is certainly the man of the moment at Celtic right now as the Honduran enjoys the adulation of the supporters and his country’s media.

Kyogo Furuhashi’s goalscoring exploits proceed to impress as the Japanese striker netted as soon as more at the weekend.

But a pundit has been sincerely blown away with Celtic midfielder, Matt O’Riley this season. The 22-year-old has been in scintillating shape for Brendan Rodgers.

O’Riley’s goalscoring has extended so much under the Celtic manager this season that he has been attracting the interest from the likes of Spurs.

Former Scotland striker, Kevin Kyle, has admitted that he is a huge admirer of O’Riley and says that the midfielder is so good, it’s frightening.

Kyle stated [Open Goal], “You understand who I think is amazing? The boy [Matt] O’Riley is frightening. Callum McGregor is simply shoring the whole thing up and O’Riley simply goes anywhere he wants.

“But it’s how he takes the ball, how he receives it. He’s constantly on the half-turn. I don’t know.

“There’s being affected person but it’s his off-the-ball movement that permits him to get the opportunities.”

O’Riley’s form for Celtic has meant that he has already had to put up with some heavy switch hypothesis this season.

TBR Celtic shared this afternoon how Crystal Palace now keep an interest in O’Riley with reports claiming that any bids north of £10m will be ample to make Celtic think about accepting.

Yeah, £10m and the rest. Recently being valued at well over £12m, the amount of interest the Danish u21 international is attracting ability that any fee Celtic will ultimately acquire for O’Riley is likely to be north of £20m and more.

No doubt the nearer we get to the January window, the greater speculation we’ll hear about O’Riley however at least Celtic are secure in the know-how that after signing a new 5-year deal at the club, Celtic can demand top dollar for their prized asset.

Celtic were given a second chance to sign a £4 million striker who scored 19 goals last season

Celtic ought to have a 2nd hazard to convey in Sydney van Hooijdonk in the January transfer window as Bologna are ready to think about presents for the Serie A misfit. 

With the Dutchman already going through an uphill struggle setting up himself as Bologna’s range one centre-forward, he certainly may want to have performed without Joshua Zirkzee rediscovering the golden contact which had Manuel Neuer singing his praises at Bayern Munich a couple of years ago.

Zirkzee has been in phenomenal shape of late. Almost Berbatov-esque with his poise and finesse in the closing third. As such, a January departure appears to be the only option left handy to Sydney van Hooijdonk if the Celtic linked striker is to avoid spending the entirety of the season stuck on the sidelines.

Celtic like Sydney van Hooijdonk

Van Hooijdonk, son of former Hoops ace Pierre as you would possibly have guessed, has no longer commenced a single Serie A game in 2023/24. In fact, he’s only played 41 minutes in Italy’s top flight.

And with Bologna eyeing Porto’s former West Ham United prospect Toni Martinez, Gazzetta dello Sport are indicating that Van Hoojdonk should be allowed to depart in pursuit of extra regular action. Opportunity knocks for Celtic, then. Though whether or not Brendan Rodgers’ Premiership leaders revisit their £4 million-rated summer season goal remains to be considered (Il Resto del Carlino).

With Kyogo Furuhashi firmly established as Celtic’s number one through the middle and with Oh Hyeon-Gyu providing respectable depth in reserve, it is actually difficult to envisage a state of affairs in which Van Hooijdonk follows in his father’s footsteps and right away nails down a spot in Rodgers’ first XI.

19 dreams in one season at Heerenveen

Then again, a transient spell at Heerenveen in 2022/23 is proof of what Van Hooijdonk can do when given regular minutes and ordinary service. An old-school, broad-shouldered throwback of a number nine, the Dutchman scored 19 instances in a mid-table Eredivisie outfit, and would sincerely delight in the pigging out at a table waited on via the likes of Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda and Luis Palma.