Luke McCowan realising 'boyhood dream' by playing for Celtic

Luke McCowan says his boyhood dream of playing for Celtic has come true but admits all the hard work is now ahead of him as he looks to earn a place in the team.

The midfielder clinched a move from Dundee to the Scottish champions on transfer deadline day before making his debut off the bench in the 3-0 win over Rangers two days later.

And after a whirlwind start at Parkhead, the 26-year-old, who grew up idolising the likes of Henrik Larsson and Alan Thompson, is now aiming to make his own impact at the Hoops.

McCowan insists playing for his childhood heroes has been everything he ever imagined but revealed the higher profile takes some getting used to, including being spotted on trips to McDonald’s and young fans knocking on his parents’ door for autographs.

Speaking on Monday as Celtic prepare for a return to action following the international break, he said: “It’s gone excellent, as you can imagine, and really smoothly as well – the boys and the staff at the club have been unbelievable with me.

“It has been something I have dreamed of as a wee boy, to come here and get the chance to play for this club and it’s been everything I have ever imagined so far.

“A lot of hard work ahead, of course, but this week’s been good and everything is going smoothly.

“The manager showed a lot of trust (to give him his debut against Rangers) which is the main thing and after the game I thanked him for that.

“It was incredible, to come on to noise like that is amazing, but it was just another game that I knew I had to be concentrated when I came on.

“Early doors you want to just play as many minutes as you can, you know the standard here, it is the best in the country and a Champions League team and it will take a lot of hard work to get in the team.

“My family have been nothing but helpful, but I think it’s a massive learning curve for them as well, you’re in the media a lot more and on the frontline in that aspect, you can’t just go into McDonald’s and get away with it, you’re getting spotted off wee guys and you’ve got to show you are a true professional by only getting a fruit bag.

“So it’s stuff like that we are getting used to as well, there has already been a few wee guys come to my mum and dad’s door asking for autographs and stuff like that. So it’s a learning curve for them as well and I’m sure they are absolutely delighted for me.”