Brendan Rodgers revealed that Celtic captain Callum McGregor was involved in bringing the ex-Liverpool manager back to the club. The Celtic skipper met with Rodgers in Majorca, discussing the squad and the club as a whole which further whet Rodgers’ appetite to come back to the club.
The Irishman gave an extended interview to Celtic TV before he is officially unveiled as Celtic manager tomorrow after his appointment was confirmed at the start of this week as Rodgers replaced Ange Postecoglou. When asked about the importance of the skipper, Rodgers revealed how highly he rated McGregor.
“He was pivotal back then, just seeing a young player develop. I’ve obviously seen him when I left and just seeing him continue to make that growth was really pleasing.
“And I have to say he was a big part of my decision to come back as well, because I had a lunch with him for a few hours in Majorca, and just understanding the squad and where it was at and what he felt the club was at, he gave me some great feedback that the group is hungry, it’s young and ready to keep pushing forward.
‘And for me Callum’s an absolutely brilliant player on the pitch, his brain, his view of the game is right up there with the very, very best I’ve ever worked with.’
“He’s robust, he plays many games, he’s the ultimate professional, but within that he has a great humility. So I’m absolutely delighted that coming back here, he’s the club captain.”
🗣 “My commitment is always to be an attacking team, to be an aggressive team and to be a winning team.”
World Exclusive: Brendan Rodgers’ first Interview after returning as Celtic Manager 📽#CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/h7Qbe8Tb1r
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) June 22, 2023
McGregor has been phenomenal since Rodgers turned him into a regular starter in the Celtic first team. Since then, the Scotland Internationalist hasn’t looked back. The 30-year-old will play a pivotal part at the heart of Brendan’s team moving forward.
