Callum McGregor is in the prime years of his Celtic career.

But Steven Caldwell reckons the Hoops have a ready-made successor as captain when the Hoops icon does eventually call it a day. McGregor, 30, is one of the most decorated Parkhead players in history with an astonishing five Trebles to his name and more than 450 appearances for his boyhood club. The influential midfielder is the beating heart of Brendan Rodgers’ team and still has plenty left in the tank before he even thinks about retirement.

However, if Alistair Johnston is still around at Parkhead by the time CalMac hangs up his boots, Caldwell believes the Canadian could be an ideal replacement. Former Scotland star Caldwell knows all about the 25-year-old’s qualities in his role as assistant to interim Canada boss Mauro Biello. And Caldwell thinks the right-back possesses the leadership qualities to take on the role as skipper one day.

He told the Scottish Sun: “Alistair has improved a lot, and you’ll only get better playing games at the level he’s playing at just now. You can see his understanding playing on that right side. We play him on the right side of defence or right-back. He’s added parts to his game in terms of going forwards and different positional spaces he might take up in games.

“Alistair’s also a very inquisitive lad. He wants to learn and get better, and he’s taking on all the information he’s given to allow him to become a more complete player. He’s become an important part of the Canada set-up since he went to Celtic.

“The fact that he’s going to be playing in some of these high-profile games at the end of the season in Scotland will help him grow. It will also help us as we move towards some major games ourselves in the next few months. Can I see him being a captain? I certainly can.

“Alistair is a smart lad who knows the game and what he wants. By the time he’s getting towards his 30s I can definitely see him taking on a leadership role for Celtic or Canada. He’s open to discussing things and isn’t closed in terms of where he’s at, and he doesn’t have any ego.

“He has no arrogance, that’s one of his biggest strengths, and the reason why he’ll continue to get better and better. We’ve tried to create an environment where everyone’s voice feels heard. They have to take some onus on themselves to push the group to be better in training and improving performances on the field.

“We’re aiming to take our programme to the next level. Everyone within our set-up has got a brilliant attitude, though. They are a great bunch of lads. They are similar ages, which is really fantastic.

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