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Brendan Rodgers praises Ange Postecoglou and aims to sort Celtic’s European form

3 minute read

New Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has praised his predecessor Ange Postecoglou, admitting he did a 'fantastic' job and that he is inheriting a team 'on a high'.

Brendan Rodgers, manager of Celtic. Picture: AAP Image

The Australian moved to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month after securing a domestic Treble for the Glasgow side. This has seen the reappointment of Rodgers, who left Celtic Park in February 2019 to join Leicester City.

Rodgers' record with Celtic is similarly impressive, having won all seven domestic trophies for which he competed, but their record in Europe under his stewardship was poor.

The Northern Irishman is aware of this failing and has said he will not be guided by nostalgia. Thanking major shareholder Dermot Desmond for bringing him back, he told Celtic TV:

"I'm very proud and obviously very happy to be here.

"I want to say a massive thank you to Dermot and the board for taking me back and everything feels so natural, I'm really pleased.

"The nostalgia is great, but it's the past. I'm here again to win and look forward and continue with that mentality and to look to see if we can do something in Europe."

Postecoglou's positive style of play has been widely praised and Rodgers is hoping to continue in this vein.

He continued: "What my commitment has always been is to attacking, aggressive football.

"In my last time here, we were able to achieve that, especially playing so many games."

Celtic have already been active in the transfer market, securing the signing of promising 20-year-old holding midfielder Odin Thiago Holm from Valerenga on a five-year deal.

Speaking about the deal, Rodgers said: "I have looked at him closely and believe he is someone who can make a big impact at the club.

"I have spent time already with Odin, he is an ambitious, exciting young player and I know he is delighted to be joining us.

"He is a great addition to the quality squad we already have and we really look forward to working with him."