Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor might have been in indifferent form for the Hoops recently, but he showed what he is all about for Scotland in the Nations League match against Ukraine.

The Celtic star helped Scotland dominate the game on the way to an emphatic 3-0 win, in what has to be considered as one of Scotland’s most complete performances in a long time.

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Scotland dominated the midfield in particular, and McGregor was a big reason for that, as he helped the national team keep possession and was able to put his opponents under plenty of pressure.

WhoScored.Com shows just how important the 29-year-old was to Scotland on the night, as McGregor had the most touches of the ball with 84, and he also had the best pass accuracy of any Scotland player that completed the 90 minutes, with a percentage of 95.6%. McGregor is key for Scotland at passing and moving the ball, same as he has been for Celtic when he is at his best.

It is notable that McGregor played in his usual midfield position for Scotland, not further forward like he did for Celtic against St Mirren, a move which didn’t get the best out of the Hoops captain, and you have to think that when Celtic are back in action McGregor will be in his usual midfield role.

Whilst it is good for McGregor that he is back in excellent form, it could well cause a headache for the Hoops, as it seems certain that the player will start for Scotland against Ireland on the 24th of September, and Ukraine on the 27th of September.

That means that McGregor could well play 270 minutes of football in the international break, before Celtic are back in action on the 1st of October. The headache will be the concern that the Hoops staff have about the player picking up an injury. Celtic are already currently without the key duo of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers, and the last thing that the Bhoys need is another key member of the team suffering an injury.

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That is what can happen on international duty, and the fact that McGregor managed to get through the first game of three unscathed will be a relief to Ange Postecoglou and the rest of his Hoops coaching team. 

Hopefully McGregor can lead Scotland to two more positive results, whilst keeping clear of any injury issues, as that will give him plenty of confidence ahead of Celtic’s match against Motherwell at the start of October as both the player and the team aim to bounce back from the recent loss to St Mirren.