The Celtic captain’s injury may be an opportunity, not a crisis.

Nobody wants to see a Celtic player injured. Nobody wants to see the club captain injured in particular. The absence of Callum McGregor for tomorrow’s match, and possibly next weekend as well, is clearly not ideal.

However, few players in Scottish football need rest more than McGregor. In fact, there may not be many players anywhere in Europe who have carried the same workload. Whether the reason is injury or enforced absence, a short spell out of the team could ultimately do him some good.

His absence obviously affects Celtic and it is not a positive development in the short term. Yet if it is true that Arne Engels is back in training and that Kieran Tierney is also returning, the situation may not be as alarming as it initially appears. McGregor will be missed, but not to the extent that panic is justified.

Engels is capable of stepping into that role. It is not his permanent position and it may not even be his best position, but he can perform the task. If he is fit and ready to play, that represents a welcome relief.

Some commentators have recently suggested that players should be playing even more games. That view ignores the reality of modern football. The demands placed on players today are greater than they have ever been.

If McGregor were still playing regularly for Scotland there would barely be a break for him even in the summer. Modern footballers are playing more matches than any generation before them.

The players’ union understands that the schedule is becoming unsustainable. Clubs understand it as well. A typical season at a top club now often involves more than sixty matches across domestic competitions and European football.

To manage that workload clubs require larger squads and greater depth of quality. Even with those resources the risk of burnout remains significant.

Celtic will eventually have to adapt to that reality by building a bigger squad with more interchangeable quality. Even so, the risks of overworking key players remain clear.

It is not unusual for a team to rely heavily on a central figure, but constructing the entire system around one player is risky. As influential as the captain is, the squad should contain similar profiles capable of sharing that responsibility.

Such planning benefits the team as well as the player. Expecting any footballer to carry that workload season after season is unrealistic, especially when international commitments are added on top.

A fully fit Callum McGregor remains the ideal scenario for Celtic. However, no player should be expected to appear in every match without pause. When circumstances force the manager to leave him out, even temporarily, it may provide a valuable opportunity for recovery.

Time away from the starting eleven allows a player to step back from high-intensity training and the constant physical demands of competition. Watching from the stands for a short period may not be the worst outcome.

There is a realistic scenario in which that break benefits both the player and the team over the longer term.

By the time the final five league matches arrive, McGregor could return refreshed. A short spell away from the grind of competition may leave him feeling renewed, physically and mentally.

The warning signs have been there for some time. Celtic’s reliance on certain players has become excessive. Greater squad depth is needed so that every position can be rotated without the team appearing weaker.

Losing the captain is always a blow, yet this squad contains other leaders. Several players possess the presence and authority to inspire those around them. Someone like Kieran Tierney is more than capable of wearing the armband if required, which reduces the pressure on McGregor to carry the responsibility alone.

Looking ahead to next season, significant changes will likely be necessary. The squad may require a substantial rebuild and a reconsideration of priorities.

One priority should be identifying a long-term alternative for the defensive midfield role. For some time there have been calls for a more physically dominant, ball-winning midfielder. That profile differs slightly from McGregor’s strengths.

Recruiting such a player would allow McGregor to rotate more regularly, something that will become increasingly important as he moves deeper into his thirties.

The club should already be planning for the future of that position. The club has arguably missed opportunities to recruit suitable successors from within the Scottish game, which suggests the issue has not received the urgency it deserves.

When leaders delay planning, predictable problems turn into crises that demand hurried solutions.

Those decisions will shape the summer ahead. For the remainder of this season, the immediate priority is adaptation.

McGregor will not feature tomorrow and may miss the following match as well. Fortunately an international break follows soon afterwards.

That creates a window of roughly four weeks for recovery. Ideally that period will allow McGregor to step away from the relentless pace of the season, spend time resting, and return fully fit for the closing stages of the campaign.

Few players have carried more responsibility for Celtic in recent years.

A proper rest has been earned.

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