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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Robbie Copeland

The clear Brendan Rodgers message to Celtic stars on day one as Joe Hart reveals 'love' talk that kicked off new era

Returning Brendan Rodgers told the Celtic dressing room he was proud of what they achieved last year - before wiping the slate clean and demanding they go again.

Rodgers is back at the helm at Parkhead having been convinced by Peter Lawwell and the Celtic board to ditch plans for a year-long hiatus and take over from Ange Postecoglou. He was initially reluctant but the allure proved too strong and he's looking to continue his spotless domestic record in Scotland and make a serious dent in the Champions League.

Improving on a Treble-winning team will take some doing and the tweaking has already begun with Odin Thiago Holm and Marco Tilio coming in while Jota has sealed a £25m move to Saudi Arabia while Aaron Mooy has retired from the game. And as he hits the ground running in pre-season, keeper Joe Hart has revealed what Rodgers told them on day one.

He told Sky Sports: "He's super positive, you can tell he absolutely loves the club. If he was to take his managerial hat off, he's a Celtic fan but he's made it very clear he's able to separate business and pleasure.

"We're here for business, we're here to work, to be successful, push each other and try and get the best out of each other. He wants the young guys and the older guys to help. Very clear messages, I'm looking forward to working with him."

Hart went on: "We've only been together a couple of days now. He's an exceptional guy. I've had run ins with him in the past as an opponent and I actually bumped into him a few times on holiday. He's a lovely person, first and foremost, which is very important."

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