Callum McGregor did enough for his country. He’s well out of this World Cup.

Just the other day, when Billy Gilmour limped off injured, it did not take long for a familiar chorus to begin rising from sections of the Celtic support.

“Get Steve Clarke on the phone.”

“Call CalMac.”

“Ask him to come back.”

Just like that, the solution to Scotland’s problems was apparently supposed to be Callum McGregor once again. Thankfully, it never happened. It couldn’t happen. Because as James forgot to mention in his piece yesterday, Clarke has made his bed already and has to lie in it. He picked the provisional squad; replacements can only come from there.

Still, the chorus in favour of Callum was annoying to me. Because even if it could have happened, it should never happen.

I love Callum McGregor. Every Celtic supporter with eyes in their head loves Callum McGregor. He is one of the finest captains this club has ever produced.

He is the heartbeat of Celtic, the metronome of our midfield, the calm voice in the storm when chaos starts to swirl around us.

But because he is so reliable, so professional and so brilliant, people have developed a habit of treating him like football’s emergency services.

Something goes wrong?

Call Callum.

Need leadership?

Call Callum.

Need experience?

Call Callum.

Need someone to carry the burden?

Call Callum.

At some point, the man is entitled to say no.

And he already has.

Callum McGregor made his decision regarding international football. He gave years of service to Scotland. He travelled the world. He played through injuries. He carried expectations. He wore the shirt with pride and dignity.

Then he looked at his career, his body, the demands placed upon him by Celtic and made a choice. That choice deserves respect.

Not just from Scotland supporters. From Celtic supporters too.

I find it strange that some of our own fans were desperate to see him dragged back into the international setup the moment Scotland loses a key player.

What exactly would Celtic gain from that?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

If anything, Celtic have far more to lose.

The modern football calendar is madness. Players barely get a summer. They barely get a break. Seasons bleed into tournaments. Tournaments bleed into qualifiers. Qualifiers bleed into pre-season preparations.

Then the whole exhausting cycle starts again.

Callum McGregor is 33 years old now. He has played an astonishing amount of football over the years. Celtic make huge demands of him. Every manager he has played under has leaned heavily upon him because he is the one player you can trust completely.

The man deserves every bit of rest he can get.

Not because he is finished. Not because he is declining.

Quite the opposite.

He deserves rest because he remains so important.

Every mile he does not have to run for Scotland is potentially another mile he can run for Celtic. Every international camp he misses is another opportunity for recovery. Every friendly, qualifier and Nations League fixture he avoids is another chance to preserve the legs that have carried Celtic through countless battles.

That is in Celtic’s interests. It is in Callum McGregor’s interests too.

That’s why I was so surprised at the chorus to get him back in the team. We are better without Callum playing internationals. We don’t need that in our lives.

Scotland has adapted to life without him. At some point, somebody else had to grab the shirt. At some point, somebody else had to become the leader. That is not Callum McGregor’s job anymore. He has already done his bit.

I think John McGinn has taken up that role in the national team now.

As for Steve Clarke, I have made my feelings known often enough. The Scotland manager feels like a man whose cycle has run its course. He deserves credit for getting Scotland back to major tournaments. He deserves recognition for ending years of failure.

But football moves quickly. Ideas become stale. Energy fades.

Fresh voices become necessary.

I personally do not want to see Clarke become some long-term fixture regardless of results or performances. Nor do I want to see Scotland continually looking backwards whenever adversity arrives.

That applies to managers.

That applies to players.

And yes, it applies to Callum McGregor.

The easiest thing in football is to look behind you.

The hardest thing is to look ahead.

Yet that is exactly what Scotland must do and eventually Celtic have to as well. Because every time people call for McGregor to play every game, what they are really saying is that nobody else is ready.

As a Celtic supporter, my feelings are simple.

I want Callum McGregor rested.

I want Callum McGregor refreshed.

I want Callum McGregor leading Celtic into another season with a clear mind and a healthy body. But more than that; I want Celtic to have a succession plan for him as well, and we should be working on that as a priority.

As my Ginger Witch instincts tell me, there comes a moment when even the strongest oak in the forest starts to lose its strength.

You do not keep hacking branches from it because another tree has failed to bloom. Callum McGregor has carried enough weight for club and country. He has paid his dues a hundred times over. Club and country have to start thinking about a future without him.

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