Callum McGregor says he could never have jumped ship last summer after Celtic failed to win 10-in-a-row.
Instead, the Hoops star felt he had to put things right by leading Ange Postecoglou ’s new-look side to the title.
McGregor was linked with clubs in England after the club’s capitulation in the league last term.
He could easily have followed the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Kris Ajer and Ryan Christie out of Parkhead.
But the 28-year-old, who was appointed skipper by Postecoglou, insists that was never going to happen.
McGregor revealed he took their doomed 10-in-a-row bid personally and was desperate to wrench the title back off Rangers.
If Postecoglou’s side win the last Old Firm game of the campaign at Celtic Park on Sunday, they’ll effectively be crowned champions.
And if McGregor gets his hands on the trophy, he insists it’ll be the highlight of his career so far.
When asked if he considered leaving after things turned sour under ex-boss Neil Lennon, McGregor said: “No, not at all. We had a poor season but straight away, I was thinking: ‘We need to put this right’. That was my motivation.
“I love this club, I’ve committed my future here and I took it personally.
“If we win, I’m the happiest guy in the world and if we lose, I won’t speak for three days.
“There was never a point where I was going to take the easy option and leave.
“I wanted to come back and put the record straight.
“I wanted to show people that it was a one-off and that we could go again.
“Would it be the pinnacle of my career to lift the trophy as captain? Absolutely.”
A league title win would secure a Champions League group stage spot and a £40million jackpot for the club.
And despite their European failings in Postecoglou’s first campaign, McGregor is convinced that his free-flowing, attacking style of football CAN get them results at that level.
He said: “The manager will definitely believe that. That will transfer to the players and then onto the pitch.
“When you play against better teams, if you pass the ball and make them run after it, they don’t want to do that.
“They would rather we just kicked it and gave it back because then they don’t need to run.
“If you get them chasing the ball, it’s making them work harder and that’s the way the manager sees it as well.
“You have to be brave. You have to take the ball in and test your technique.
“But if you make these teams run, you’ve definitely got half a chance.”
Celtic have won the last two Old Firm derbies in the Premiership, which have been pivotal in their charge to top spot.
McGregor wants another victory over Rangers today and says results against their Glasgow rivals will have been key if they’re crowned champions.
He said: “It’s two top teams fighting it out for the league.
“Normally, people say these games take care of themselves and it’s about your form in the other games.
“But both teams have been pretty good against the rest of the league.
“It’s going to come down to these four games and if you can win them it will pretty much get you over the line.
“These games have been big. The one at Ibrox a few weeks ago was massive in terms of getting that six-point gap at the top.
“Now we just need to close it up.”
