Liverpool legend James Milner has backed Brendan Rodgers to be a success on his return to Celtic. The Irishman was announced as the replacement for Ange Postecoglou in an ambitious swoop by the club’s board. Rodgers, 50, agreed to a sensational return after meeting with senior club officials who convinced him of the project for continued success at the club.
As reported by Record Sport, Milner believes that Rodgers will do well again and praised the quality of his training sessions.
“I’m really pleased for Brendan. He’s a top manager and I would have liked to work with him longer at Liverpool as unfortunately, it wasn’t all that long.
“He was the one who brought me to Liverpool so I have a lot to thank him for.
“He is a good manager. He conducts good training sessions and did well last time he was at Celtic.
“I am sure he will do well again. He is a genuine person. He cares about his players. In terms of the football side, he’s tactically very good.
“He’s not scared to try new things while his training sessions are run very well.
“The biggest thing is that he is great to play for, as the players all enjoy playing for him.
“We bump into each other now and then and we always have a good chat.”
Milner has departed Anfield as a free agent as he heads for Brighton. The 37-year-old’s fitness and endurance has been praised throughout his career along with his quality on the ball so it is interesting to see that Milner rates Rodgers so highly, especially when you consider the managers that he has worked under – Klopp, Mancini, Pellegrini and O’Neill to name but a few.
Rodgers was very clear as he was unveiled as Celtic manager that he would be looking to continue Celtic’s domestic dominance as well as making an impact in Europe. It appeared that there was a differing ambition in 2019 when Rodgers left for Leicester City.
If Celtic can make significant additions to the squad in terms of quality, while reducing players on the periphery of the team, Rodgers can hopefully hone the team towards success on all fronts. Ange Postecoglou had a core first team with a number of players existing outwith that core, it will be critical that these players are moved on and wages redistributed.
