Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers admits he has been left impressed by the club's rising stars and their ability to step up to his demands.
The Irishman has completed his first week of training at Lennoxtown and made sure to lavish praise on the stars of tomorrow who have earned a chance to shine with international stars earning well-earned rest after their exploits for their country. And their absence has allowed the returning boss to find out what the academy stars are made of as he talked up their instant impact.
Speaking to Celtic TV, he said: "Normally, now in the modern game, very rarely, do you get all all your players back at the one time. That always give you the chance to see the young players. I have been really, really impressed with both, established guys in first team squad have been excellent, attitude outstanding. They have come back and in a really good condition - they are back already fit so that gives us the chance to build on that.
"And the young players, a lot I haven't already known, they have been pleasantly surprising really. Sometimes a young player can come in and sometimes suffer with the intensity of training with the first team. But they have all coped really, really well. We want to play attacking, aggressive football and in order to do that you need to be technically very good but you also need to be fit. So building up that base over the course of this pre-season is very important. The point I made to the players is it starts on day one, when you are looking to reclaim the winning mentality, you have to become from the very first day and give everything and that is what the players have done."
Rodgers has waxed lyrical about Callum McGregor's impact in the here and now and has once again moved to underline the vital role the skipper has had in him saying yes to his blockbuster second stint at the helm. And he admits the passion McGregor has for the club he leads helped convince him to say yes to coming back.
He added: "We had a really strong relationship the last time I was here. I’ve seen him grow, I’ve seen his personality grow on the field and he was very much beside Scott Brown in my first time here. Just to see him continue to grow and evolve, and now being the great ambassador he is for the club as well as player, I’m really proud to see that development.
'So I’m really looking forward to working with Cal. He’s a brilliant player, he communicates so well for the club, for his team-mates and I have to say he was one of the big reasons for coming back. When I had the lunch with him and we spoke about Celtic, I could see the determination in his eyes to keep achieving and that made me really think about going back to help him and support the team.
“Because that’s why we all exist. We all exist here at Celtic to help the players achieve and when they achieve, then the supporters are happy.”
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