Brendan Rodgers releases first statement after Celtic return

Brendan Rodgers is the new Celtic manager. The announcement has been made. It is official. There is no more wait. It is time to get to work on improving the squad for next season, with guaranteed Champions League group stage football coming up and three domestic trophies to defend. The Northern Irishman has been trusted to replace Ange Postecoglou.

Of course, this is his second run at the club. Rodgers has already had one very successful stint as Celtic manager, winning seven trophies.

That run ended in the worst possible fashion though, as he left in the middle of the season in order to join Leicester City in early 2019. That left a bitter taste in the mouths of a lot of supporters and Rodgers will have to get them back on his side.

Of course, people have been looking forward to what he would say to the fans after coming back just a little over four years later. And as reported by Celtic’s official website, Rodgers said:

"“I am really delighted to return to Celtic and I am hugely excited by this great opportunity. When I was given the privilege of being asked to join the club again, it was a very simple decision for me and my family.“We have enjoyed some great times at Celtic before and this will be my goal again, to deliver good football, ensure we have a team we all love to watch and ultimately bring more success to our fans.“Ange has done some brilliant work across the last two years and I will be doing all I can to maintain Celtic’s momentum as we face into all our domestic and European challenges.“We have a hugely impressive and talented group of players and staff at the club, and I am really looking forward to meeting up with them all and then getting straight down to work.“I wanted John to be with me as we move forward. He is a very talented coach, someone I know well and respect and he will be very important to myself and our players.“The club is in fantastic condition at all levels and I would like to thank the board for putting their trust in me to take the team forward. We will work very closely together as we strive to bring that success to our supporters.“Let’s get to work!”"

Rodgers releases first statement after Celtic return

It will be very interesting to see how Rodgers’ second run turns out. The club have shown faith in him by handing him a three-year contract from the get go, when most managers join on 12-month rolling deals.

One would expect Rodgers to be an even better manager than last time around. He won the FA Cup and the Community Shield with Leicester City, and finished fifth in the Premier League with them on two occasions.

It was not too long ago that Rodgers was being linked with teams like Manchester City and Barcelona. Thus, Celtic are getting one of the best managers in the world here. And it is important that he gets the backing of the fans. It is time to forgive and forget for the good of the club.