HE may be one of several Celtic players who has been excused from the end-of-season Scotland tour of Peru and Mexico, but Callum McGregor can expect to be heavily involved going forward.

That was the clear message from James McFadden, the Tartan Army hero who became an assistant coach when Alex McLeish was appointed manager of the national team in February, at Hampden yesterday.

McGregor’s omission from the Scotland squad towards the end of the Russia 2018 qualifying baffled and upset many supporters and some even believed it cost the country a play-off place.

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The versatile midfielder has played both regularly and consistently well for Brendan Rodgers’s side, including in the Champions League, in the past two seasons.

He was eventually called up for the Group F double header against Slovakia and Slovenia in October – but he failed to get on in Ljubljana as Gordon Strachan’s men drew 2-2 to just miss out.

McFadden was one of those who felt McGregor, who scored a spectacular opening goal in his side’s William Hill Scottish Cup final win over Motherwell at Hampden on Saturday which was redolent of one his compatriot would have netted in his pomp, should have been involved.

But the Scotland great is confident the man who has won three caps to date in friendlies against the Netherlands, Costa Rica and Hungary will be in starting line-up when Albania come to Hampden for the opening UEFA Nations League game in September.

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“The trip is not the be all and end all even though it is obviously important,” said McFadden. “Callum McGregor’s goal was unbelievable,” he said. “He wins the ball in front of Motherwell’s two best ball winners. That is their bread and butter. It wasn’t because they weren’t switched on, it was just because he was quicker, sharper. He takes a touch a smacks and unstoppable shot into the net. It was a fantastic goal.

“That is the level he is at now. He is a mainstay of that side. It is great for us. He is not a young boy. He has had to fight to get where he is.

“Even the way he plays is good . He has always got a big smile on his face, he is a lovely guy and he deserves everything he has got. Going forward, looking towards the Nations League and beyond, it is great for us as a country.”

McFadden continued: “I thought he should have been in before because he started the season very well. I can understand Gordon’s reasons as well. He was coming towards the end of a campaign and he went with guys who he knew and had started the campaign and done well for him previously. Sometimes that happens.

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“But other times you just pick the guys who are in the best form. It is a difficult one. He will certainly be part of this squad going forward.”

“Whenever he played before he never let anybody down. Going back to last year when I was at Motherwell and we were beating them (in a Ladbrokes Premiership game at Fir Park in December). Brendan brought off (Emilio) Izaguirre and put Callum McGregor to left back.

“That showed you that he can play anywhere. He’s so trusted. That was roughly 18 months ago and he was trusted back then. I just think he’s kind of exploded now into a team that are blowing everybody away.

“He’s worked hard for it. He’s not going to waste it. He was never going to be a rabbit caught in the headlights. He’s 24 now. So he’s not a young, young boy. He’s experienced a lot in his career through his loan spell at Notts County and all he’s been through at Celtic.

“He was about 21 when he went out on loan. People might have thought that maybe it was time for him to leave Celtic as it didn’t look like he was going to make the breakthrough.

“He’s always happy and bubbly. He’s an optimist. The way he plays and his outlook is great. He’s just ready to take his chance whatever it is, against whoever it is, for whoever it is.”

McFadden, who will fly from Glasgow to London with the Scottish-based members of the travelling party tonight ahead of their flight to Lima tomorrow morning, also envisages Leigh Griffiths, who will miss the trip because he is to undergo a clean-up operation, continuing to be an important squad member.

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“Leigh will be massive,” he said. “He’s a brilliant player. He’s not had the season that he would have liked and certainly from our point of view we’d have liked him to play more games. But if he can come back fit, have a good pre-season he’s a massive asset.

“He’s a guy that can score goals out of nothing, he leads the line very well and he’s a massive threat, not just from open play but from set-pieces as well.

“We don’t have a dearth of talent in the striking area. So he’s someone we’ll want to get back fit, as fit as he can be and we want to use him as much as we can.”

McFadden added: “Having been away on one trip it’s a good dressing room. There is a good bond. Sometimes you go away and find the guys that play in the same team just mix with each other but it wasn’t like that, a few of the boys were playing cards or they were playing that Fortnite game in their rooms.

“There was a good spirit, I enjoyed it. Leigh is massively important because he’s a winner, he wants to score goals, he wants to be the guy that scores goals, he wants his team to win. He’s mental as well and that’s good.”

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McFadden, the former Everton and Birmingham City forward who won 48 caps for Scotland in an eight-year international career, as renowned as the most technically gifted and entertaining players of his generation and he is confident that there are an abundance of players with those traits who McLeish will be able to call on going forward.

“We’ve got Callum McGregor, Stuart Armstrong, James Forrest, Kieran Tierney, and Andrew Robertson,” he said. “Even the defenders we have in the squad – Scott Mckenna is comfortable on the ball as if Jack Hendry. You go right through the team. They all want it.

“Most players look comfortable on the ball. We’re too quick to talk our game and our players down. I think it’s on the rise as we’ve seen this season.”

James McFadden was speaking at the Tesco Bank Football Challenge National Festival where 300 children from across Scotland got the chance to play football at Hampden.