Former Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley has reflected on his relationship with Brendan Rodgers, explaining how the Parkhead boss was key to his form last season.
O'Riley initially moved to Glasgow's east end under the watch of Ange Postecoglou, but he really caught fire after Rodgers' second arrival.
Indeed, the central midfielder stood out in the manager's first season back at Celtic, chipping in regularly with goals and assists alike.
O'Riley eventually netted 19 times in all competitions last campaign, setting up another 18 along the way. His electric form saw him gain a wealth of transfer interest, with Brighton and Hove Albion shelling out upwards of £25m on his services last summer.
He has struggled to get going so far on the south coast, though, and has recently reflected on his time in Glasgow, explaining how beneficial Rodgers' management style was for him: "He [Brendan] put a lot of trust in me," he said (RecordSport).
Read more:
. "That’s the reason last year came to fruition like it did. I had a manager that really believed in me – and he made me aware of that. That was really nice. By doing that, it allows you to have freedom on the pitch.
"I learned so much off Brendan, I try to be as open as I can be to improving."
O'Riley now works under the current youngest manager in the English Premier League, Fabian Hurzeler.
The German is only 31, although O'Riley reckons there are some key differences between how he and Rodgers work: "Brendan has been around football a long time," he said.
"Our manager is great but, respectively, he’s still very young in his career. Their approaches are always going to be different. But Brendan was great for me. He was always very approachable and you could speak to him any time.”
The 24-year-old has taken some time to bed into life with the Seagulls, having made just 11 appearances in all competitions this campaign.
He is yet to complete a full 90 with his new club, too, in what has been somewhat of a frustrating first few months.
There are some key differences between how Celtic play and the nature of the game in England: "It’s definitely been different adapting to a different style of play, it was a big change," he said.
"Naturally, at Celtic, you had the ball for most of the game.
"The main thing is the way the games change speed in the Premier League. At Celtic it was a case of ‘go, go, go’ and we’d try to attack all the time. But at Brighton the game often slows down and then speeds up, so it’s a case of being able to adapt and learn.
"I haven’t found the intensity too difficult but I’m still getting used to the speed of the games. I would hope the best is still in front of me, for sure."
