GREG TAYLOR is putting Celtic’s Double dream ahead of his own future.
The left-back has one year left on his deal — but revealed no approach has been made by club chiefs to extend it.
Celtic star Greg Taylor in action[/caption] Greg Taylor with Alex Rae[/caption]But as they face a six-game chase for the title and a Scottish Cup, Taylor insists he’s cool about it.
The 26-year-old said: “I have one year left but there have been no talks. I’ve just been focused on finishing the season strongly. We’ll see what comes of it.
“I just want to do as well as I can for Celtic.
“There will always be competition here, that’s the focus of being a Celtic player.
“I just want to take care of these next six games and then everything else will take care of itself.”
Celtic shelled out £3.75million on Alexandro Bernabei with the aim of providing stiff competition for Taylor.
But the Argentine has flopped and has been sent on loan to Brazilian side Internacional for a year.
Celts boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to strengthen his left-back options in the summer but knows Taylor is a dependable figure.
Treble-winner Taylor — a £2m signing from Kilmarnock in 2019 — has played 167 games for the Hoops and won seven trophies, including three league titles.
He’ll return to the push for a fourth championship at Dundee on Sunday as the post-split fixtures start.
Once the league is settled, Celtic will face Rangers at Hampden in the first Old Firm Scottish Cup final for 22 years.
And Taylor is also desperate to be part of Scotland’s squad for the Euro finals in Germany, with his hopes boosted by Uefa’s imminent decision to hike playing pools up from 23 to 26.
Taylor, who has 13 caps, said: “Hopefully it will be a long summer. You want to be involved in the biggest tournaments with your country
“Let the football take care of things just now, though, and we will see what happens come the end of the season.”
Taylor, meanwhile, says he was doing a MOONWALK to step out of the frame as Brendan Rodgers picked his Hampden penalty-takers.
But the Double-chasing Celtic defender promises he’ll be back on the front foot in a thrilling Premiership run in.
Left-back Taylor put himself as close to the back of the queue as he could get in ninth spot — and well behind keeper Joe Hart — when the duties were being dished out for the shootout that saw off gutsy Aberdeen.
In the end, he dodged a bullet with only seven takers needed for the 6-5 spot-kick triumph — but he insists he won’t duck his responsibilities against Dundee at Dens Park on Sunday.
Taylor, 26, said: “It wasn’t one for the faint-hearted, was it? I must have aged about ten years. It was bonkers.
Aberdeen’s Duk in action with Celtic’s Greg Taylor[/caption]“But we have some really big characters in the team. That can never be questioned.
“It was even shown in the penalty shootout.
“All the boys stepped up. Big Joe’s penalties had been outstanding all week. We had practised them and he struck them well. In fairness, he wasn’t far away.
“I think it was written in the stars for the big man to put us through, though.
“He made the save we needed — and thankfully we’re in the final.
“After that it was Cameron Carter-Vickers, then me. I was down there near the bottom. It’s definitely nerve-racking. When we took penalties during the week, the standard was high. I had actually scored a couple and I felt confident.
“It’s just the pressure of the situation. You know what’s on the line and you care so much.
“You want to take the penalty but I was doing a MOONWALK there! I was grateful that a few others stepped forward.”
Scotland star Taylor, who has won seven major trophies with the Hoops, including three league titles, is firmly on board with those who believe Celtic’s quest for three in a row is far from over.
Rangers’ slip-ups against Ross County and Dundee in their last two Premiership games have left the Hoops three points clear at the top with five games to go.
That gap has many fans and pundits certain the trophy’s destination is now sorted.
It’s in the Hoops’ hands and they already have the green and white ribbons fluttering from it on flag day.
But Taylor, echoing team-mate Carter-Vickers, is too wise to buy any of that talk.
He knows that at any point in each of their remaining matches, starting at Dundee on Sunday, they could stumble and hand the initiative back to their Ibrox rivals.
Taylor said: “The next game is always the most important.
“The semi-final was a good reminder that there’s a lot of football still to be played.
“We know if we’re not at our best then teams can really cause us problems — Aberdeen showed that at the weekend.
“We weren’t right there for a few of the moments and it was a timely reminder that there’s still a lot of football left in this season.”
Taylor’s as steady a player as there is available to Rodgers, starting 40 of Celts’ 46 games this term. He’s seen it, done it and is better than a lot of Celtic fans give him credit for.
But he’s also become a key dressing-room figure, one of the senior pros who helps set the tone for the rest with his professionalism.
Taylor recognised that for periods in last Saturday’s semi-final triumph over the Dons, the champions were badly exposed.
The goals conceded didn’t reflect well on the defence.
And overall for Taylor and his team-mates the tie was a sharp reminder of how their fortunes could dramatically change if they don’t pay heed to their failings on the day.
He said: “It wasn’t how we would have wanted it in terms of making a poor start.
“We took control pretty soon after that and the aim was to get to the final — and that’s what we managed to do.
“Both equalising goals we lost were very similar. We could have defended things better as a team, definitely.
“They were disappointing but in cup games it’s about making sure you’re the team who goes through on the day and we managed to do that.”
Taylor’s going to miss keeper Hart’s presence.
The former England No 1 announced he’s hanging up his gloves after the Cup final on May 25.
Hart has proven a brilliant signing since his £1million arrival from Spurs in 2021, beloved by everyone at the club.
Taylor said: “He’s a massive character. He showed what he was all about in the semi-final.
“He is strong-willed and an absolute credit to himself. I am buzzing for him. He deserves all the praise.
“It’s great that we know his last game will now be the Scottish Cup final. We want to make sure it’s a fitting end.
“We have five games left and a cup final and hopefully we can finish the season strongly for the club and for Joe.”
It’s the Hoops’ title to lose with their lead but Taylor wants them to power their way to fresh glory.
On their advantage, he said: “Yes it’s there, but it doesn’t really change things too much.
“We still know we need to win five league games to win the title. Right now our focus is on Dundee.
“I’m hoping we will get stronger as we go on. I felt good in the 120 minutes.
“I wasn’t feeling leggy and I was ready to go. I’m hoping we are in our prime and can sprint over that finishing line.”
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