Brendan Rodgers’ comeback as manager of Celtic was initially met with mixed reactions from the fans when it was announced last summer.
Many were still hurt by the way that Rodgers left Celtic in 2019, with a lot of sour feelings about the place. But, it was clear that Celtic wanted the Irishman to return to the Parkhead dugout.
The club went all out to seal the deal with Celtic captain Callum McGregor in Majorca.
In a preview of a Sky Sports documentary of last season set to air this Friday night on Sky Sports at 7 pm, McGregor shared insights into his crucial meeting with Rodgers that played a decisive role in the latter’s decision to return.
“Initially I was just buzzing to see him again, to be honest. It had been there a few years since then. But I knew that when the manager got in touch, then we sat down and we spoke and very quickly it became clear that he was interested.
“He was probing and asking questions about certain players and how the club was and how it’s moving forward and then straight away I’m getting excited because I think it’s just gonna happen, he is going to come back.
“And like I said, I just tried to give my honest evaluation of where I thought the club was and where we can get better and where we can keep pushing to move it forward because I knew that that was a big thing for the manager as well.
“He wants to continue to move. That’s one thing I learned from the first time he was here. He was always pushing for more and trying to raise the standard standard to higher up in the club as well.
“So we knew where we were wanting the club to go and I was excited at the prospect of working with the manager again.
“And I just tried to give him a true evaluation of where I thought we were and we’re a young, exciting squad that probably needed a next level of guidance as well to get us to where we want to be and I thought the manager would be the perfect guy for that.”
🗣️ “This is a guy I would trust with my life.”
🗣️ “I was just buzzing to see him!”Brendan Rodgers & Callum McGregor open up on the manager’s return to Celtic, as part of our exclusive programme.
📺 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰: 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 | @SkyFootball | 𝗙𝗿𝗶 𝟳𝗽𝗺 pic.twitter.com/BnkchHX7em
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 30, 2024
Rodgers’ return to Celtic has indeed paid off significantly, with the team securing both the league and Scottish Cup in his first season back.
His experience has shone through this season, especially in the derbies.
Dermot Desmond will be sitting back relieved that his gamble paid off, but in his eyes, it probably was never a gamble.
