Luke McCowan revealed his “mindset coach” has helped him hit the ground running as a Celtic player.
The midfielder came off the bench to help Brendan Rodgers’ side secure a point on his Champions League debut at Atalanta last midweek then marked his first start with his second goal for the club in Sunday’s 3-0 Premiership win at Motherwell.
McCowan, 26, said: “You’ve got to stay calm. It’s something I want to be doing. It’s not as if I’ve won the lottery to get a start. You’ve got to work hard to get that.
“I was saying that to my mindset coach the other day, it was just a case of being frustrated about not playing and it means you’re doing something well. And I was.
“And then to get the nod to start shows the manager’s got a bit of trust in me and I need to go and prove I deserve a start and I think I’ve done well enough to do that.
“It went about as smoothly as I could have hoped. A 3-0 victory. It’s good to just be out there and helping the team get the three points and having an impact on the game.”
McCowan has been working with his mindset coach since his Dundee days.
“I worked with him for maybe six months before I came here, and I knew when I came here that I’m going to need to keep him, because it’s going to be a different kind of a situation,” he said.
“Me and him speak all the time. It’s just kind of like having a conversation with your dad or your uncle, but a lot more professional about it and he’s been really good for me.
“I’ve worked hard to get here, I’ve been told by numerous people at the club that once you’re here it’s about showing you deserve to be here and I’m not going to get all excited.”
With skipper Callum McGregor a doubt with a hip strain, McCowan could face his former team-mates when Dundee visit Celtic Park on Wednesday night.
“Cannot wait,” the 26-year-old said. “Obviously off the back of that [game] as well, it’ll be nice hopefully.
