Celtic B coach Stephen McManus has praised the club’s achievement of securing a domestic double under Brendan Rodgers, despite the season ending in disappointment with a Scottish Cup final defeat to Aberdeen on penalties.
The Hoops added both the Premiership title and the League Cup to the Parkhead trophy cabinet but were denied a treble in heartbreaking fashion in the season’s final game.
Brendan Rodgers, in his second campaign back in the Celtic dugout, successfully led his side through a challenging season domestically, while also guiding them to encouraging performances in Europe. McManus was quick to highlight just how much work goes into delivering such success year after year.
Speaking to CeltsAreHere, McManus stressed that while Celtic have often made winning look routine, the reality is anything but simple. The former Celtic captain underlined the relentless demands placed on the players and staff throughout the season as they battled on multiple fronts.
Alongside their domestic dominance, Celtic showed signs of real progress in the Champions League. Despite ultimately exiting the competition, performances against top opposition, including Bayern Munich, offered real optimism for the future. McManus believes these experiences will stand the club in good stead as they look to build on this European campaign.
He said: “It was another massively successful season. When you look at it, it is not easy to win trophies, and there is certainly no easy way to win trophies here at Celtic. Over the last few years, the club have made it look that way, but it certainly is not.
“When you have been involved in football, you know how hard you need to work on a daily basis just to get over the line when winning trophies.
“We did the double, which was tremendous, but the most important part, certainly for the club, was if we could make progression within the Champions League, and when you look at the way that the lads and the manager and the coaching staff progressed throughout the tournament, it was terrific.
“Even when you look back to the game against Bayern Munich, obviously we did not go through, but the performance that night shows great strides that we have made throughout the competition.
“Again, it is somewhere that the football club would like to get back to again for next season.”
The season may have ended with penalty shootout heartbreak, but McManus’ comments reflect the broader success Celtic achieved over the course of last season. Winning both the league and League Cup shows the consistency Rodgers has managed to add to his squad since returning to Glasgow.
The progression in Europe will be viewed as a key marker for Celtic’s ambitions going forward. After years of struggles at Champions League level, performances against the likes of Bayern Munich demonstrated that Rodgers’ side are beginning to narrow the gap to Europe’s elite.
Attention will now turn to the summer transfer window, with Rodgers expected to strengthen his squad ahead of another demanding season both domestically and in Europe. Celtic’s board and recruitment team will be tasked with ensuring the manager has the necessary reinforcements to build on the foundations laid in the last 12 months.
As McManus points out, returning to compete in the Champions League remains a priority for the club. With the right additions, Celtic will be determined to take another step forward next season and continue their pursuit of success at every level.
