Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor has admitted that there can be greater pressure on the home grown players at Parkhead than those who are brought into the club.

McGregor’s form this season has seen him become a mainstay of Brendan Rodgers’ side with goals and high profile performances in significant games for the Parkhead club.

It was the midfielder’s strike at Hampden on Saturday afternoon which set Celtic on the path to their double treble with the wind knocked out of Motherwell the minute the Scotland internationalist’s goal hit the back of the net after just 11 minutes.

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“I do think it can be harder if you come through the academy,” said McGregor. “You maybe need to prove yourself that wee bit more. But there are a few of us – myself and James [Forrest] and Kieran [Tierney] and I think you can see how much it means to us to be in this position.

“It feels like a real privilege to wear the jersey and having come through the ranks I think we know more than anyone how hard it is to get into the first-team and show that you are good enough not just to play but to play regularly.”

McGregor is one of the players whose development under Rodgers has been easy to chart. A year ago he was a part of the Invincibles squad but this term he has become far more pivotal to Celtic.

International honours have finally followed for the midfielder but has he prepares for a break before the UEFA Champions League qualifiers get going, he has acknowledged that this has been the best season of his career to date.

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“I don’t think there is any question about that,” he said. “But that doesn’t just happen. You have to work at it. I have loved this season and I do feel that I have kicked on another wee bit but that comes down to listening to what the manager is asking for and then just getting the head down and getting on with it.

“It is also enjoyable. The football we play really encourages us to go and express ourselves and it is remarkable to have been part of a side that went a season unbeaten and then followed it up with a second successive Treble.

“I think it just underlines how consistent we have been and that itself comes down to the manager. He never lets up and that is the hallmark of all great teams.

“We will never be satisfied with what we have got. It will be great to go and enjoy it for a couple of weeks now but the minute we get back to Lennoxtown it will just be a case of getting ready to go again.”

What comes next for Celtic will be interesting.

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The Parkhead side will aim for another season of Champions League football but how recognisable the squad that seeks out to secure that is remains to be seen.

The expectation is that a number of players could go while a few more will come in the opposite direction but McGregor is optimistic that the nucleus of the squad can stay together.

“It’s probably a key factor for us to try and keep everyone together,” said McGregor. “I have said it before that we have a special group of guys at the club.

“Everybody is together and everybody wants each other to do well. Even the guys who are not playing are just as happy when you are doing well and you are happy when someone is in there and doing well.

“That’s the way it has to be to get success. Everyone has to be together. That’s been a massive part of why we’ve been so successful and we have to try and keep these guys and keep as much of the squad as we can together.

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“I think when you are here and you are winning things, you see the support and you know how massive the club is, that’s a big draw.”

And McGregor himself could be one of the next players in line to commit his long-term future to the club. The midfielder is contracted until 2021 after signing an extension his current deal last year and he is in no rush to look elsewhere.

“You are not leaving here to go somewhere else,” he said.

“You are winning things, you are successful, you are playing in the Champions League.

“The magnitude of the club and the support you get, you don’t want to leave here.

“Days like last Saturday at Hampden shows that this is the best place to be, so, for me, it’s simple.

“To be a part of a special day in the club’s history is hard to put into words and it’s difficult to sum up just how I am feeling.

“Obviously, it was great last year and I hope that I played a part last season, but probably becoming more of a main player is something that I wanted to do.

“It was great to hear the manager give me credit and the way you want to repay him is by giving him trophies and playing well.”