Brendan Rodgers has given his first interview since arriving at Celtic for his second spell as manager, speaking exclusively to club outlet Celtic TV.
Rodgers has signed a lucrative three-year contract at the Bhoys and is said to have sought assurances he will be backed to deliver on an ambitious vision for the club on and off the pitch.
That ambition has started to shine through already, as the manager laid out his reasons for returning to Glasgow following his exit in 2019.
Brendan Rodgers on taking the Celtic challenge
He told Celtic TV: “I’m here to win. The nostalgia is great, but it’s the past. I think that hopefully from that period, what we achieved is set in concrete and will always be there. But I’m here again to win, look forward and continue with that mentality and look to see if we can also do something in Europe.
“It’ll be the first job I’ve come into where the team and the club are on a high. When I’ve gone into previous roles it’s been different situations. I think Ange has done a fantastic job here over the last couple of years, culminating in finishing with the treble. It’s a fantastic achievement.
“What you have is a young, hungry squad who, if they keep that mentality, can continue to achieve. And I think Europe is always a big factor for this club. Can we develop the team to do something in Europe?
“Domestic football is always important, that’s your bread and butter. Being dominant here in Scotland, but transferring to Europe and see if we can achieve something there.
“What my commitment has always been, is to play attacking, aggressive football. My last time here we were able to achieve that. My commitment is always to be an attacking team and an aggressive team and to be a winning team. That’s always the promise I make.”
Rodgers now has a couple of weeks of peaceful planning for the return of the squad to Lennoxtown early next month. No doubt he has been hard at work for a while now so everyone at the training centre can hit the ground running.
There will then be a training camp in Portugal before a trip to Asia with friendlies to be played in both Japan and South Korea throughout July.
Final preparations for the new campaign will again come at Lennoxtown, with the Scottish Premiership kick-off coming on the weekend of August 5th.
In other news, New Celtic arrival once impressed Manchester United scouts; Liverpool link, name origin.
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