BRENDAN RODGERS has revealed he was rushed into hospital just months before becoming Celtic manager, due to the stresses of his stint at Liverpool.
The former Parkhead boss was axed at Anfield in October 2015 after a string of poor results culminated in a 1-1 Merseyside derby draw against Everton.
Just months later, in the summer of 2016, Rodgers was appointed Celtic manager and the 49-year-old has opened up on a whirlwind period in his career.
He told the Coaches View: "I had plenty of people tell me not to do it.
"I had options to go to the Premier League. I had an option to go to China, to make an awful lot of money.
"But I was a Celtic supporter. I knew the size of the club, I knew the expectations. I knew the fanbase, I knew there was an opportunity to play Champions League football. Most of all, I knew there was an opportunity to win.
"I was very fortunate, really, because I knew Celtic was the place for me.
"I had left Liverpool in October. It was early in the season, only eight league games in.
"I took the call on the Sunday evening, after the Merseyside derby. The owners felt they needed to make a change. I accepted the decision, and from that point I was no longer the Liverpool manager.
"On the Monday, I was offered another job. But I had always felt that I wanted to go in, where I could, at the beginning of a season.
"On top of that, I needed the recovery. Needed to get away. Liverpool had been an emotional rollercoaster. At such a huge club, one of the great clubs of the world, even the good days are difficult. I enjoyed every single minute of it, but it had taken a toll.
"I wanted to go away and reflect on my time at Liverpool, but also to regain two elements that I believe are absolutely vital to any manager: energy, and happiness.
"No matter what you do in life, I feel that you need both. But, in particular for a football manager, and for me at that time, they were crucial. If you are energised and happy, you can do your job much better.
"It was a case of turning the engine off on football for a little while. Spending some time with my kids, doing some travelling with my wife, and then tapping back into football in the new year.
"I went to Spain for a week. Then I came back, and flew to Dubai. Within a couple of days in Dubai, I was rushed into hospital.
"I went through all the tests. It was felt that I was having some issues internally, but then they got into the process of what had happened with work, with my life. They pieced it all together, and it was simply a case of my body being so tense, so tight, from all that had happened in finishing my time at Liverpool.
"It reminded me of the pressures you experience, and the expectations you carry, as a manager. Especially at the bigger clubs. It reinforced for me that it was time to find a calmness, to re-energise and make sure I was genuinely ready for the next challenge.
"It wasn't just about the next club, though, It was about the right club.
"What is vitally important in your next job, I believe, is that you win. And that you win in the best way you can.
"I saw that in Celtic. I saw the opportunity to win, but a chance to bring my ideas into another iconic club. There would still be big pressure: 60-odd thousand fans every other week, and a worldwide fanbase."
