Celtic drop Craig Gordon for Aberdeen game

Celtic have dropped goalkeeper Craig Gordon for the match with Aberdeen. Picture: Bill Murray/SNS

De Vries, 35, was signed by Celtic earlier this month and is well known to Rodgers from their time working together at Swansea.

The Celtic boss has placed great store in building from the back and having a goalkeeper who is comfortable playing the ball with his feet.

“Dorus is someone I know very, very well,” said Rodgers ahead of the Aberdeen match.

Celtic's Dorus de Vries has been picked to start in goal against Aberdeen. Picture: Rob Casey/SNS

“He understands completely the control I like to build in the game - he knows exactly the way I work.

“Having control from behind is very, very important.”

The decision will come as a real blow to Gordon who saved a penalty in the Champions League play-off tie against Hapoel Beer-Sheva in Israel on Tuesday night, as Celtic lost 2-0 but qualified 5-4 on aggregate.

However, he was also criticised in some quarters, most notably by former Celtic striker turned TV pundit Chris Sutton, for his part in the second Hapoel goal, although the bulk of the fault seemed to lie with right-back Saidy Janko who barged into Gordon, causing him to drop the ball.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Craig because he’s been excellent since I came here,” Rodgers told Radio Scotland.

“It’s not about a No.1, a No.2 or a No.3, it’s about having very good goalkeepers. When you have a long season you are going to need a group of players.”

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