Ex-Celtic forward Charlie Nicholas has warned Hoops boss Neil Lennon not to overuse midfielder Callum McGregor, despite the Scotland international’s importance to the team.

The 27-year-old has started all 17 of the Scottish champions’ fixtures this campaign, and Nicholas said he noticed signs of tiredness in the player against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-final at the weekend:

“My biggest concern about the Celtic team right now is Callum McGregor. He has played so many games for club and country and he looks tired. The problem for Lennon is that he can’t afford to rest him because he protects the ball better than any other player in that area.”

As Nicholas says himself, though, Lennon may have no choice but to continue playing McGregor considering what he offers with his ability on the ball. The likes of Olivier Ntcham, David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro are other options that could be considered but they are not like-for-like replacements.

It will be interesting to see whether Celtic do decide to go into the market for another midfielder when the transfer window reopens in January. Considering the number of games both domestically and in Europe,  McGregor won’t be able to play every one of them so a new addition may need to be sought out.