Celtic v Falkirk – Everything said at Brendan’s Media Conference

Q: Is Kieran getting up to pace?

Brendan Rodgers:  “Yeah, I just think that’s going to be time and I just want to take it steady with him because he’s full on in training, his mentality’s unbelievable. It’s also considering that he hasn’t played a lot over the last couple of years. So then just throwing him into every single game for 90 minutes, that’s not really going to work for us. But I’ve been so pleased with how he has come in, how he’s settled and he’s getting between 60 and 70 minutes and just working his fitness level.”

Q: Do you have to hold him back and just ease him in, does he sit some things out in training or how do you handle it?

Brendan Rodgers:  “He understands it now. He’s obviously got a great maturity to him now and has probably sensed maybe he’s been his own worst enemy as it were, because he is so committed and he is so full on. But you can see his maturity as an experienced player now, that in those moments where you do maybe, you know, if you’re doing six exercises and you’re taking him out of the last one, then he understands it much better now. Even though he’s inherently a guy that gives everything and it’s never 80% or 70%, it’s 100% always. But I’ve been so pleased to have him back and he’s showed up really well.”

Q: Is the long-term benefit that you hope you’ll get him to the point where he’s maybe as fit as he’s ever been in his career, long-term?

Brendan Rodgers:  “Yeah, I think what we want to try and increase is his level of strength as well. There’s parts of that that we feel that we can help him and improve and help in that robustness. Sometimes it’s just collagen as well. It’s just how you’re made up. Like Kieran, you know, he’s not breaking down because he’s not doing his work, he’s an unbelievable young professional, who in spells has had really, really some bad luck. And in others then you just pick up natural injuries. Then there are certain players in their career that’s just so unfortunate, just their body makeup, their collagen means that they are injured quite a bit. But we’re very confident and him coming back, not even at his prime absolutely yet, but we want to help him and manage the process through for him, and that’s our duty here.”

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