Luke McCowan is a firm fan favourite at Celtic.
Despite McCowan being a bench player, the fact that he is a boyhood Celtic fan makes him more popular than many of his teammates.
The 27-year-old signed for Celtic from Dundee during the summer of 2024, but a signing like his is few and far between from the champions of Scotland.
Given the money in the game, as well as the expansion of data and the ability to track any player across the world, fewer domestic and local players are being signed, and it’s irking Barry Ferguson.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
There won’t be many times when the Celtic Park faithful agree with Ferguson, but he probably has a point here regarding domestic players.
The former midfielder thinks teams in Scotland have an ‘ignorance’ problem when it comes to signing domestic players, and they have to go abroad to make a name for themselves, with Italy proving to be a hotbed for Scottish talent of late – Lennon Miller is a prime example.
Ferguson used McCowan as an example of a Scottish player ‘doing really well’ at Celtic, and how there seemingly needs to be more of him, as he told The Daily Record.
“I love seeing the Scottish boys, whether it’s Italy or whatever, ” said Ferguson. “I think you will now start to see that, and I will go back to it. We are allowing these guys to leave our league, where there is an opportunity to get them.
“At a time, they might go to another league. But I think there is a real ignorance towards Scottish players. There are a few players who could play for Rangers and Celtic. I don’t call it snobbery, I call it ignorance.
“These guys are certainly good enough to play. You look at Celtic and Luke McCowan. He is doing really well.”
‘Core of Scottish players’ required at Celtic and Rangers
Who is the heartbeat of Celtic? The captain, Callum McGregor. A local boy. Coming through the academy and knowing Celtic inside and out.
There is also Celtic’s most decorated player of all time, James Forrest, as Ferguson thinks teams like Celtic and Rangers need to have a ‘core of Scottish players.’
“It’s always up for debate, but I have a belief you have to have a core of Scottish players,” stated Ferguson.
“You have got to. All this about, ‘I don’t think they are good enough.’ There are players that are certainly good enough.”