Callum McGregor sought Brendan Rodgers' advice after latest Scotland snub

The Celtic midfielder was overlooked for a place in the squad for last Friday’s win over Lithuania and tonight’s game against Malta at Hampden, although he remains upbeat about his willingness to keep knocking at the door of the international team.

Arguably his case may well be strengthened should Scotland mount an unlikely late flurry for a place-off place to win a ticket to Russia next summer, but for now McGregor remains intent on keeping his focus for Celtic.

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“I did speak to the manager about it, just a quiet word really,” said McGregor. “He told me just to keep doing what I have been doing, to keep chipping in with the goals and with the assists and eventually it will come for me. It wasn’t a big deal, I think it was just a case of him telling me to keep up what I am doing with Celtic and trust that it will come for me.

“I hope that proves to be the case. But for now I am happy just to concentrate on my football here. There is an exciting time for us and hopefully the manager is right that if I stay part of here that the other stuff follows but it is out of my hands.”

McGregor had a long weekend as players not on international duty enjoyed a little down time but it is likely to be the last break for a while.

Celtic head to Hamilton Accies on Friday evening to restart their league duties, a game that will be overshadowed by the looming return of Champions League football to the club.

The Parkhead side host PSG next Tuesday night and it is in this environment where McGregor can really underline his case for inclusion in Strachan’s squad, a squad that already has a significant Celtic spine running through it at the minute.

“There are some real glamour games in there but they will be three hard teams to go up against,” he said. “All I can say is that I am really looking forward to it.

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“I watched the draw in the house the night it was made and the boys were all texting one another. In some ways it is an ideal draw because at this stage in the competition you want the big names and the big ties but we also feel that we have been strengthened by our exposure to the competition last year. That can only have helped us as we look to go and enjoy it this year but also try and aim to do as well as we possibly can.

“You look at the pricetags of some of them and it’s pretty frightening. To be honest, though, as a player you just get on with it. It isn’t something you go into a game thinking about. You just look upon it as a cracking chance to test yourself against some of the best players in the world and come away with that experience. Playing against that calibre of player and team makes it impossible not to learn something. You come away having learned so much from it.

“It is just getting the balance. There is always an expectation at Celtic to go out and put in a performance, especially at Celtic Park. We have to look for ways where we can cause teams problems and we want to be positive without being naïve. European football is obviously a different level but this is where we want to be and it is an amazing time for the club to be going up against these players and teams.”

Celtic closed the transfer window with five new additions, although they were unable to bag a move for another central defender.

However, last week’s new signings Odsonne Edouard and Patrick Roberts are players that McGregor believes will make a difference and Roberts, in particular, is a player that McGregor is keen to get working with again.

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“It just shows that we can attract these players,” he said. “Patrick had a brilliant finish to the season last year and all the boys are mates with him already. He is a good guy around the place and we all know what his capable of doing on the pitch.

“It is a perfect signing in some ways. You could go out and spend however much you like on a player – and the way this summer has been you can see some of the prices that are floating about – and no-one can ever know for sure how a player is going to settle in at a club.

“With Patrick, it should be pretty seamless. I was speaking to him fairly regularly over the summer and I know a few of the lads were too. He might feel as though he needs a wee bit of match sharpness in fitness but once he is up and running there is no doubt that he gives us something a bit different and it says much about the club that we were able to go and get him back, even though there was plenty of interest in him from elsewhere.”