Brendan Rodgers delivers SPFL reconstruction verdict and explains surprise appearance at Celtic training

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has thrown his weight behind calls for an expanded top flight as Scottish football prepares for talks aimed at reconstruction.

There are currently four options up for discussion at a Scottish Professional Football League meeting set to be held later this month: retaining the current 12-team format with a split or switching to a 10, 14 or 16-team alternative.

Four Premiership coaches - Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes, Rangers assistant Neil McCann, Dundee boss Tony Docherty and Motherwell manager Michael Wimmer - all spoke out in favour of a bigger league earlier this week, while St Johnstone owner Adam Webb did likewise.

Rodgers would also like to see the Premiership expanded rather than reduced in size.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers during a training session at Lennoxtown on Friday. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group

"I certainly don't think it needs to get smaller," he said. "If it goes any way, there is still a notion for me that we could bring a few more teams into the league.

"Clearly, there may be issues around TV revenue and there might be a challenge to that. But from a football perspective I always felt that increasing the league would help."

Reconstruction talks have been partly driven by an increased strain on the fixture schedule, with extra European matches leaving fewer available dates in the domestic calendar.

Premiership sides currently play 38 league matches per season but Rodgers does not see that number as a particular issue, rather the additional fixtures provided by external competitions, as he referenced the upcoming Club World Cup, which takes place during the close season this summer.

"It has been 38 for a period of time so I'm fairly comfortable with that," he said. "There's lots of other football that gets added in and then your recovery time gets diminished.

"When you're a successful team you expect to play more, so we accept that. When I look at the bigger picture, there's absolutely no doubt the recovery of players [is an issue].

“When I see the competition in the summer, with teams having the possibility of getting to the Champions League final and then a couple fo weeks later going into a tournament that is clearly driven by money, it's the players that will suffer, as will the supporters because the quality of the game [diminshes].

"There can be too much football. We all love football and I watch football from all around the world. Games most nights and sometimes three or four games a day. But you're risking showing too much football which in time might turn people off. We just have to be caerful with the game.

"I also mentioned before I think it will become a 12 month season and players will have to look at different recovery periods other than just in the summer. The way it's going you can see more games being added, and the winter break has been taken away. There's a lot of discussuons points but from a domestic perspective, if you could have a few more teams in there I think it could work well."

Kasper Schmeichel during a Celtic training session at Lennoxtown Training Centre on Friday. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Rodgers also gave an update on goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel after the Danish international made a surprise appearance at Celtic training on Friday despite being ruled out for up to six weeks with a shoulder injury.

"Clearly he's not damaged his feet," explained the Celtic boss. "He can use his feet and work on his touch. The timeline we've been given is five to six weeks by the medical experts, but it could be sooner.

"He's feeling good. He's got mobility and rotation there but we've just got to be caerful with the blade in his shoulder, but he can do other things so he's out on the training field working on the technical side of the game."