Celtic had McCowan 2.0 in "phenomenal" star, then Rodgers sold him for £2m
da leao： As Steve Clarke announced his latest Scotland squad earlier this week, there was a notable omission from a Celtic point of view – Luke McCowan.
da betway： The £1m summer signing from Dundee was not included for the upcoming March internationals, with Clarke opting to continue with the likes of Ryan Christie, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn et al in what is an undoubtedly strong area for the national side.
While the competition in the midfield ranks is fierce, a few eyebrows have been raised by McCowan’s exclusion, with the 27-year-old Hoops star still waiting for that elusive first call-up.
One-time Celtic man Simon Donnelly was among those to suggest that the playmaker was “unfortunate” to miss out, albeit with the player himself having stated that earning a place in Clarke’s squad was “maybe not a target this season”.
It would be fair to say that the former Ayr United man hasn’t exactly set the world alight since moving to Parkhead, although he has shown flickers that he can be a key figure moving forward, both for his country and for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Why Luke McCowan hasn't been called up by Scotland
As stated, with Rodgers settling on a starting midfield trio of Arne Engels, Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor, McCowan has had to bid his time this season.
That said, when he has been given the nod, the midfield maestro has showcased what he’s all about, chalking up six goals and six assists in 31 games in all competitions in his new surroundings – only 12 of which have come from the start.
To put that into context, among those selected ahead of McCowan by Clarke is Motherwell’s teen sensation, Lennon Miller, albeit with the 18-year-old only chipping in with four goals and six assists at Fir Park.
Miller, due to his youth, will be viewed as the greater long-term investment for the Tartan Army, yet when factoring in that McCowan has 21 goals and assists in total this term, including his early season form for Dundee, the Celtic man may have reason to be frustrated.
Described as the “missing link” in the Hoops side by writer Ryan McGinlay, the task for the tricky left-footer now will be to oust the likes of Hatate and Engels from Rodgers’ go-to side, not just to improve his standing at club level, but also on the international scene.
Indeed, the playmaker may be fearful of going the same way of another homegrown star signed by Celtic in recent times, with David Turnbull’s career having stuttered of late.
Celtic already sold the original Luke McCowan
Prising talents from within Scottish football has long been a route to success for the Old Firm side, be it landing Stuart Armstrong from Dundee United, or the aforementioned Christie from Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Where Are They Now
That trend looked set to continue with the capture of Turnbull from Motherwell back in August 2020, with the promising midfielder joining 14 months on from seeing the move collapse after requiring knee surgery.
Much like McCowan – who racked up 47 goals and assists in 125 games for his former employers – the £3.25m man had proven himself in Scottish football prior to making the switch, after contributing to 23 goals in just 41 games for Well.
McCowan vs Turnbull – 23/24 Premiership stats
Stat (*per game)
McCowan (Dundee)
Turnbull (Celtic)
Games (starts)
37 (37)
16 (9)
Goals
10
7
Assists
5
0
Big chances created
9
5
Pass accuracy*
71%
88%
Key passes*
1.6
1.3
Tackles*
1.0
0.5
Interceptions*
1.5
0.2
Total duels won*
45%
36%
Successful dribbles*
0.9
0.1
Possession lost*
17.3x
6.6x
Stats via Sofascore
At times looking “phenomenal”, in the words of pundit Alan Hutton, the five-cap Scotland international did rack up over ten goals and assists in the Premiership in each of his three full seasons in Glasgow.
That said, his face never seemingly fit under Ange Postecoglou, enduring what teammate Matt O’Riley described as a “rough year” in 2022/23, in which he started only six league games.
That was followed by just nine league starts at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, yielding seven goals, before Turnbull – who was approaching the end of his contract at the time – was sold on by Rodgers and co for just £2m to Cardiff City in January 2024.
The now 25-year-old said at the time of the move that his “aim” was to get back into the Scotland frame, although a year one from making that switch, he appears no closer to a recall, having scored only once and provided only one assist in 29 games for the Bluebirds.
Sadly, Turnbull has been out since December after enduring what looks to be a ‘long-term’ injury blow, with the move to South Wales having thus far failed to pan out.
As for his time at Celtic, the former Motherwell man did showcase a real goalscoring instinct, although simply found himself overtaken by the likes of Hatate and Matt O’Riley in the midfield pecking order.
McCowan, therefore, must ensure he doesn’t also remain shackled to the periphery…
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