Chris Sutton believes that Callum McGregor will have been devastated by the decision to play him at left-back against Cluj.
The midfielder was subject of a deadline day enquiry from Leicester City last week as he watched Kieran Tierney being introduced as an Arsenal player.
It is well documented that McGregor was the most used footballer in the game last season with all but one appearance coming in the centre of the park.
On the left wing, behind a striker or in central midfield the Academy Graduate excelled but played in defence Celtic lost a key dynamic.
McGregor put in a commendable performance at Ibrox in December as Brendan Rodgers lost faith in Emilio Izaguirre and Johnny Hayes but repeating that move against Cluj on Tuesday backfired in a number of ways.
Explaining the outcome of that decision Sutton told the Daily Record:
It ruined the balance of the team and seemed to mess with their heads. The rest of the players weren’t at it at all, as if bewildered as to why the manager would take their best midfielder out of the engine room and stick him at full-back.
Lennon couldn’t understand why his team was so poor and passive during the first half against Cluj. I might be wrong but I can’t help thinking it was the same again. And John Kennedy should have been telling him this. He was standing beside Rodgers at Ibrox when it fell apart.
If I was McGregor then I’d be devastated. This is a boy who was wanted by a top-half Premier League team because of his midfield talents and told he couldn’t leave because he was too important to Celtic.
Lennon is due to face the media tomorrow to preview the Betfred Cup tie against Dunfermline but explaining the defeat from Cluj is likely to be the only topic discussed.
