CALLUM McGREGOR is desperate to emulate his Bhoyhood heroes and reach a European final.

Midfield star McGregor was only nine years old when Henrik Larsson netted a double as Celtic went down 3-2 against Porto in Seville after extra time back on May 21, 2003.

And now he is actually playing on the continent in the green and white hoops himself, the prospect of reaching a major final is still something which excites the 21-year-old.

Celtic will need to get by Inter Milan in the Europa League last 32 if that is to happen this season.

But regardless of when it happens, starring in a European showpiece in green and white is something the winger is desperate to experience.

He said: "I was about nine when Celtic were in the Uefa Cup final. I remember watching it on television. I can't recall too much about it [the game itself], I struggle to remember what I had for breakfast yesterday!

"But I can think back to the massive hype about it within the club, though. Watching the game was so exciting. I've been a Celtic fan since I was young and it was fantastic to see us doing so well in Europe.

"It would be brilliant if we could be part of that history and one day get to a final. It would be unbelievable. We just need to be focused and take one game at a time."

He added: "Football is a funny old game and anything can happen. If you play well on the night you can go through, then you get a bit of belief and it just takes you all the way."

One of the reasons Celtic got to that final back in 2003 was due to the strength in depth of their squad, with the likes of Shaun Maloney and Jackie McNamara on the bench for that famous night.

Being part of a competitive dressing room is something which McGregor knows much about.

After being Ronny Deila's most-played star in the early part of the season, the man who was on loan at Notts County last season has been used more sparingly in recent weeks.

It has been a learning curve of first-team football for the youngster as the re-emergence of James Forrest means he will have to battle for a starting jersey.

But McGregor is not surprised by the ambitious and success-driven Celtic squad, both on and off the park.

He said: "It's a competitive dressing room. We are pretty much the top club in Scotland, so it's going to be like that. Everyone is fighting for places, with different scenarios going on. It's really good for the club, especially with things taking shape. Everything is coming together nicely.

"Footballers just want to win at anything. We play each other at computer games, a few of the boys come in with a Nintendo DS and play Mario Kart and things like that.

"Sometimes we play Fifa against each other, it's a good way to kill time with a bit of banter. We also had a quiz coming down the road from Aberdeen recently. The staff table won it though, so I think there might have been a bit of cheating going on."

McGregor added: "The season has taken shape now. We are top of the league and the boys are fully focused.

"Everyone is focused on staying there and trying to progress in all the cups."