'Doesn't bother me one bit': Brendan Rodgers hits back at Celtic naysayers and says 'you are your best when with family'

Brendan Rodgers believes the timing is “perfect” for him to return to Celtic and will not listen to naysayers who claim you should never go back to an old club.

Brendan Rodgers has returned for a second spell as Celtic manager.

Rodgers was named as successor to Ange Postecoglou last month following the Australian’s move to Tottenham Hotspur. The 50-year-old Northern Irishman had a hugely successful first spell as Celtic boss between 2016 and 2019, winning two Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups, three League cups and having one invincible domestic campaign before joining Leicester City. He left the Foxes earlier this year and signed a three-year deal with the defending Scottish league champions, and says it “feels like he is back with my family” now he has rejoined Celtic.

"That doesn't bother me one bit,” when it was put to him that certain people believe a manager should not return to a previous club. “I have had it throughout my career, people saying not to do things or ‘you can't do this or that’. It feels great. It feels like I am back with my family at Celtic. When you are with your family, you are at your best.

"The timing felt right to come back and it was the perfect time for me. I know the landscape but I am also ambitious for Celtic and I want us to be the best we can be. My hunger is very much here to do my best with a whole new group of players. I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve.”

Rodgers won seven trophies during his first spell at Celtic, including the League Cup on three occasions.

Having won all three domestic trophies on multiple occasions during his tenure as Celtic manager first time around, Rodgers wants to make headway in Europe. However, he is realistic enough to know that qualifying from the group stages of the Champions League will be a huge ask. "You always have to be realistic,” he said of Celtic’s Champions League ambitions. "You can be in a group with some of the richest teams in the world. Of course you want to be competitive and we can bring our A-Game. But the reality against some of these teams is if we both bring our A-Game, they will win.

"For us, it's just to be the best we can be. And if you get a bit of luck in the competition, hopefully we can get out of the group stages. That's what we would love to do, but ultimately it's about trying to get European football after Christmas. We will fight for our lives in the Champions League but obviously the further you go in that tournament, the quality increases and the levels go very high. But to be in Europe after Christmas and go as far as possible in whatever competition should be the aim for Celtic.”

Rodgers will take Celtic to Dublin to play Wolves on Saturday, July 29 following the cancellation of both teams’ tour of South Korea. The final of the Europa League is due to be played at the Aviva Stadium, the venue for the friendly, and when it was put to him they could return there at the end of the season, Rodgers smiled: “Well there we go – as if by magic! That would be nice, wouldn't it. It's an exciting thought, of course, but there are many challenges ahead and we want to be as competitive as we can be in Europe.”