CELTIC skipper Callum McGregor believes Adam Idah can be anything he wants to be at Parkhead.
Ireland striker Idah, 24, will be back on home soil next Tuesday when he faces Cork City at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in a pre-season friendly.
And he does so still looking to nail down a position as Celtic’s main man after a first full season at the club when he made more sub – 28 appearances than starts – 23.
Yet he still scored 20 goals in all competitions.
And McGregor, 32, reckoned expectations were too high on Idah after nine goals when on loan for five months the previous season as he backed him to be a star.
McGregor said: “It’s about developing, time experience.
“I’ve been at this club a long, long time and I’ve seen so many cycles of players come into the team, burst onto the scene, have a little bit of a lull but come back and come back even stronger.
“You’re dealing with young players who need time and that adaptation period for what is a massive club with massive expectations.
“What Adam did in his first six months here probably led to the expectation when he signed permanently in the summer.
“But to hit 20 goals in your first full season is an amazing return and for someone who will get better with more experience, more games and he will learn the game more.
“I think he has the world at his feet. His profile – he’s a big lad, he can run, he can shoot.
“He has all the attributes to become a top striker and our job is to try and get that out of him as much as we can.
“We’ve been really impressed with him and we just continue to try and push and get the maximum out of him because he’s a top young player.”
Idah faces more competition this season following the arrival of Callum Osmand from Fulham, though McGregor tipped Irish teammate Liam Scales to be a regular again.
The centre half joined Celtic in 2021 but looked to be on his way out of the club when sent on loan to Aberdeen the following season.
Yet an injury crisis opened the door for him two seasons ago and he has never looked back, and McGregor acknowledged he is one of the first names on the team sheet now.
He added: “The development in Scalesy has been amazing. Maybe at a bit of a crossroads at one point but continued to work hard.
“I think you could always tell he worked super hard and wanted to have a career, wanted to do well and sometimes there are elements of timing where you have to bide your time.
“And that’s exactly what Scalesy did, to the point where overnight he just became part of the group and part of the team and a very strong part of the team at that as well.
“It just shows you that you keep going, keep improving, keep believing in yourself and the pathway is there for you.
“I’ve been hugely impressed by him and he’s someone I lean on quite a bit.
“He is someone who has come in and improved every single game, to the point where you want him in the team.”
DUFF LUCK
Meanwhile, McGregor also backed his former coach Damien Duff to return to management and show again that he can be a success.
Duff quit Shelbourne last week after just over three years in charge during which time he led the Reds to a cup final, European qualification and then title success.
And none of that surprised McGregor, who briefly worked with the Irish legend when he was Neil Lennon’s assistant at Parkhead in 2019 and 2020.
McGregor said: “He was super professional, he was someone who played the game at the highest level, he was very relatable for the senior players as well.
“He helped us at the time integrating some of the younger lads as well. He was just someone who understood football and you could see he knew the game inside out, he had a really good way about him.
“When he spoke, people listened and, I think that’s probably one of the biggest things you need as a manager is when you speak, can you articulate what you’re trying to say and the message you’re trying to get across and Duffer had that in spades as well.”
