CALLUM McGregor last night predicted that leaving his central midfield partner Scott Brown out of the Celtic side in the last two matches could prove be a managerial masterstroke by Neil Lennon in the William Hill Scottish Cup final tomorrow.

The build-up to the match against Hearts at Hampden tomorrow has been dominated by speculation about whether Parkhead captain Brown will be restored to the starting line-up or Ismaila Soro will retain his place.

Soro performed superbly in the middle of the park as the Glasgow club ended a disappointing run of form and defeated Lille in the Europa League and Kilmarnock in the Premiership last week and many fans would like to see him involved from kick-off.

However, McGregor has heard Brown being written off many times before during the seven seasons that he has played alongside him - and has seen him bounce back and silence his detractors on every single occasion.

The Scotland internationalist fully expects his skipper to be refreshed and have a point to prove to his doubters when the rescheduled final gets underway.

“You write him off at your peril,” he said. “He has that mentality. You don’t play at this club for 13 years, have such a good career and be a winner so many times if you don’t have that mentality. It’s not possible.

“The amount of times he’s come back to prove people wrong speaks for itself. Every time someone does say something about him, he comes back and plays even better. It could be a masterstroke.

“The thing about Broony is that he is 35. He might still play like he’s 26 as he’s full of energy. But you do have to remember his age as well. It’s a big ask to play two or three games a week at real high intensity, the way we like to play, high tempo, high pressing.

“He is 35 so it is a big ask. So you might have to manage him a little bit differently to previous seasons. But by no means is he starting to slow down. It’s just a case of the manager picking and choosing the right times to unleash him.”

McGregor was impressed by how Soro, the Ivorian who joined Celtic back in January, acquitted himself against Lille and Kilmarnock and is confident that both he and David Turnbull, who was also brought in for those fixtures, will do well if they are given the nod.

However, he has found the criticism of Brown, who was outstanding in the 2-0 triumph over Aberdeen in the semi-final at Hampden last month, ridiculous and will be buoyed if he is joined by him in Lennon’s XI.

“Broonie is a living legend at the club,” he said. “When he plays in the team he has this aura about him. He carries the team, he carries the responsibility. He is a huge player for us and will continue to be a huge player for us.

“I have loved playing in beside him. I have learnt so much off him and continue to do so every single day in training. He is somebody I have got huge, huge respect for.

“It is dead easy when you are on the outside looking in. You can see he didn’t play for two games and Celtic won two games and say it’s his fault. There was actually a lot different in performance levels and the team in general.

“I think it is a wee bit disrespectful when people are saying things like that when you look at what he has actually done at this club. He has had a hugely successful career and a few weeks ago in the semi-final he was arguably the best player on the pitch. He is very much still in form.”

McGregor continued: “He has been out for two games to freshen the team up, Soro has come in and done great, he looks to have huge potential. I am sure he will go on to fulfil that if he keeps working hard, keeps his feet on the ground and does all the right things.

“The amount of good players we have got playing well is obviously a bonus for Celtic. It’s a call for the manager. I am sure that whoever plays on Sunday will be 100 per cent ready to go.”