Luke McCowan determined to push for regular action with Celtic

Luke McCowan insisted he is not just at Celtic to make up the numbers as he outlined his intention to help his new club make an impact in the Champions League.

The 26-year-old midfielder joined the Hoops on a three-year deal from Dundee on transfer deadline day, a move he described on Monday as “something I dreamed of as a wee boy”.

However, McCowan, who made his debut as a late substitute in the 3-0 victory over Rangers, is not content with simply being a fringe man in Brendan Rodgers’ squad.

“Early doors, I just want to play as many minutes as I can,” he said.

“The standard here is the best in the country. It’s a Champions League team. I’m not used to that, I’m used to the Premier Sports Cup at the start of the season!

“I know it will take a lot of hard work to push players for their places and get in the team but that’s what I want to do in the future. It’s just about learning and finding my feet just now.

“The manager told me certain areas of my game that need work. When you come here, it’s a different style of football.

“For anybody going to a new club, it’s about bedding yourself in but the manager’s main message to me was about staying myself, staying as loud as I can because that’s how I’ve always been, and be a bit of a sponge to learn off the great players and top professionals like James Forrest and Callum McGregor who have been here for so long.”

McCowan could make his European debut in next Wednesday’s Champions League match at home to Slovan Bratislava.

“It’s a bit surreal,” he said. “I think this year, I’ll probably get a lot of things happening for the first time at the club. I’ve had my debut and if I get a chance to play in a Champions League game that will be another big milestone in my career but now that I’m in the door, it’s not about feeling happy about that.

“It’s about pushing on and trying to start the next game, be standing in the line-up, helping the team win those type of (Champions League) matches. That’s the goal for me.”

McCowan – who describes himself as “a wee bit of a late bloomer” – admitted the prospect of playing for Celtic seemed some way off when he was with Ayr United in his early 20s before earning a move to Dundee in 2021.

“When I was at Ayr, my main goal was to play in the team, get goals and numbers there and see what happened from there,” he said.

“The ambition was to play here one day, but it was never a case of ‘I’ll get there, I’ll get there’. I just kept doing what I was doing and progressed up the ladder.”

Asked about his prospects of breaking into the Scotland squad on the back of his big move, McCowan said: “My focus is here first, that’s the main objective. But if it happens, I’d be thrilled.

“The Scotland midfield is so strong, you’ve got players playing for Napoli and teams like that, so there’s an amazing group of boys there but I’d welcome it with open arms if it came along.”