The Celtic signing factors that have impressed McGregor most

Is this your first-ever Player of the Month award? Is that right?

I think so. There's a first time for everything.

Does that mean you need to get in among the goals to get that recognition?

I think that might be the story of the month. I think if you score goals generally it's those boys who take the headlines. We have started great but you never get there without your teammates. I have to say a big thank you to them and it is a reward for everyone because they have been so good.

How do you feel about your own start to the season?

It's been good. When you need to get goals then scoring the types of goals that I have done is nice as well. It will always attract other attention. I say it pretty much every time I am interviewed it is about the team, how the team are functioning and how we look as a unit. I am really happy and pleased with how we have started the season but we know we are only a month in and we need to continue to keep pushing.

How strange was the international break this time then?

It was fairly different from what I have been used to but it was nice to get some downtime at the end of the week. That enabled me to come back and refresh and be ready to go again.

Did you manage to watch Scotland?

I watched a little bit. I was trying to switch off, as you would, I missed the first half-an-hour of the Poland game and then watched the rest of that. The boys did well and they were unlucky not to pick up some points. It was a really good performance and they can be proud of that as well.

Is this where we see the start of what the decision is meant to achieve for you? That is getting the opportunity to put your feet up and recharge even though it is early in the season.

Yes, of course. There is a mental side to the break as well. You just chunk them up into little four-week blocks and give us the absolute maximum that you can and then you will get a little bit of recovery time to go again and come back refreshed. That's the plan and hopefully, it goes that way.

Do you feel refreshed?

Not so much already because we have just started because the time in the summer was enough. It is always nice to get two or three days off. You can go ten or eleven months of the year and you don't get two or three days off in a row. It was nice to have that and take the edge off a wee bit.

How important is it that you continue the momentum that you built up against Rangers and that you snap right back into it?

Of course, that is always the message when everybody comes back from international duty and they have been playing in different styles, playing with different players, so when we get everybody back into the building we try and refocus in terms of the ideas that we want and the way we want the game to be played. These last couple of days have been vital in terms of trying to reprogram everybody. The team has good momentum and we have the next little block of six games coming up. We will take them one at a time but hopefully, we can get the performance levels and the results to match what we did at the start of the season.

How important is the next block of games as you have Europe in among those fixtures as well? It is going to take a collective effort as you have three competitions within those next six games and it is going to be tough, isn't it?

Yes. That is why the gaffer is trying to build a strong squad so that everybody can come in and play their part. For sure, over the next month, we will need everybody. We want to challenge strongly in all competitions and we want to be there or thereabouts so we will need everybody.

Have you felt that the new faces have lifted everyone around the place? 

Yes. It’s good to get everybody back in and the energy gets refreshed once again from where everybody’s been. We’ve had a couple that have come back a bit earlier in the week and it was nice to see them up close and start to get to know them and the way they train and behave. The guys have been first class since they’ve come in and over the next six games we’ll be a lot more of them. It’s still early doors for them so we just continue to try and help them in any way we can. Then, when they come onto the pitch they’ll give everything for the club and for the team. You’ll see what they’re all about at that point.

Have you been excited at what you’ve seen from them?

Absolutely. The guys who have come in have brilliant attitudes and a huge amount of quality on the training pitch. Some of the guys got a taster against Rangers on what it’s all about which was excellent. There’s a lot to be excited about and as long as we keep moving as a collective in the right direction then hopefully it can be a good season for us.

Has the break been a luxury for you as a captain to have that time to integrate the new players?

Yeah, we got a bit of time with Luke (McCowan) last week - who has a brilliant attitude. He wants to run and work and do all the right things. I’ve got to know him a little bit over lunch and breakfast and it was nice. He’s super excited to be here, but he’s a quality player and he’ll help the group. It’s been nice for moments like that, but we’ve got the group back together and now we focus on the training for games.

What have you made of Hearts, not doing as well as they would’ve liked but finished third last season.

For sure. There’s no getting away from the start they’ve had, it’s not been ideal. For us, we have to take these games in isolation - everybody raises their game to play against us, so our idea is to try and dominate the game and be as aggressive as we can. You only need to look back at last season to keep you focused on what they can do at Celtic Park. Tomorrow will be taken in isolation, and we’ll give everything to make sure we get a positive outcome.

Steven Naismith seems like a calm manager. You’ve worked under him as a coach of Scotland, is that what you found? That he was a bit different to what he was like as a player?

For sure! I played against him a few times and got a few flailing elbows and stuff! He’s done great since he went in there - a new manager getting the job and he’s stabilised the club. They’ve been on two or three really good runs since he got the job. I have a lot of respect for him and his career and what he’s done and what he’s doing as a manager. You only need to look back to last year in terms of results versus us. It’s going to be a tough game, he always sets them up well. The challenge for us is to do the opposite and get on top of the game and make them feel our energy, power and quality. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for him.