'I won’t lose sleep over it': Celtic boss addresses David Turnbull contract situation amid AC Milan link and reveals summer talks

Rodgers is relaxed about situation with goalscoring midfielder as speculation mounts on future

Brendan Rodgers shares a smile with David Turnbull during a Celtic training session.

The uncertainty over Celtic midfielder David Turnbull’s contract situation won’t cause Brendan Rodgers to “lose sleep”, the club’s manager has maintained.

Turnbull – the club’s top league scorer with seven goals but who has started only two of the Scottish champions’ past 13 games – was linked with a £7million January move to AC Milan as he prepares to enter the final six months of his current contract. The 24-year-old has stalled over committing himself beyond then amid game-time concerns, but the Irishman is relaxed about how the situation could play out.

“If a player doesn’t want to sign then he doesn’t want to sign. I won’t lose sleep over it,” said the Celtic manager. “There were talks back in the summer and I’m not sure how far they’ve gone but clearly they’ve not gone as well as David or maybe his representative have wanted. Either way, he’s at that stage of his contract where he can choose what he wants to do and decide whether his prospects are better elsewhere but while he’s here and committed, working and running he’ll always be a valuable asset.

“As a younger coach, I probably took [players rejecting deals] very personally – if a player didn’t want to stay I thought it was about me. Now I know that it’s about players having short careers. This is an amazing club to be at – we’ll improve you as a player, you’ll make good money and win titles but if they feel the need to move on, then they go. It’s the modern game. You adapt, get on with it and find your way again.”