During Brendan Rodgers’ first tenure at Celtic saw him reunited with Dorus de Vries, who he managed at Swansea.

He was brought in to take the number 1 jersey off Craig Gordon, but after trialling him ahead of the Scottish ‘keeper, Rodgers admitted defeat and dropped the Dutch goalie.

Dorus de Vries has shared reflections on his tenure at Celtic Park, noting the physical challenges he faced and the limited game time under manager Brendan Rodgers.

Over his time at Celtic, de Vries made a mere 15 appearances before retiring from professional football in 2019.

Reflecting on his career and particularly his time in Glasgow, de Vries said that he wished he played for Celtic during his prime, rather than at the tail end of his career when injuries hampered his performance.

As quoted by RecordSport, he said: “It was a strange time for me at Celtic. Before I arrived I ruptured ankle ligaments in my last game for Nottingham Forest. So I had that problem from the start. I always thought it would have been nice to play for Celtic when I was a little younger.

“Towards the end of my career, the physical side was difficult for me. I was struggling with my back and ankle. So I wasn’t up to the standard I was used to, when I compare it to my days at Swansea or Forest. Brendan wanted a keeper to compete with Craig at Celtic.

“He adapted by learning to play from the back. That helped him develop and he went on to become a fantastic keeper – he still is. Unfortunately for me, injuries made it difficult. I just wish I’d got to play for Celtic in my prime.”

Another goalkeeper that Rodgers could reunite with is Kasper Schmeichel, with Celtic looking to replace the retired Joe Hart this summer. He admitted he was a “very good one” but that there were a lot of names in the fold to replace the Englishman.