Scotland manager Steve Clarke says there are “no big issues” surrounding the long-term fitness of Celtic captain Callum McGregor.

The midfielder is currently sidelined with an Achilles problem, but there were subsequent unsubstantiated rumours that he could miss the rest of the season. McGregor will be absent for Scotland’s games against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland later this month but, when asked about McGregor’s injury status, Clarke replied:

“I had a brief chat with Callum with this week because I knew he was going to be missing this camp, but no big issues moving forward, I don’t think.”

It does indicate that McGregor will return after the international break as Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers originally stated.

Will Celtic’s captain be back to face Rangers?

Clarke’s remarks do offer some hope that McGregor will return for the trip to Ibrox on April 7th. That crucial top-of-the-table clash is just under a month from now so you would expect that will give the midfield enough time to recover.

We will probably get a better gauge on whether he will be in contention at the start of next month. If he is pictured in training a week or so before the derby, it would suggest the 30-year-old will be ready.

McGregor’s influence has been missed

While Rodgers’ men did go down to ten men early on at Tynecastle last time out in the league, you feel that the Scottish champions would have coped better with someone of McGregor’s experience on the pitch.

Again, versus Livingston in the Scottish Cup on Sunday, there was a lack of control in the middle of the park that clearly shows that the captain’s absence is keenly felt.

With the Hoops taking on St Johnstone in a key league game this weekend, fans will be hoping that their team can get by without McGregor.