Brendan Rodgers is personally contributing to a support system for Liel Abada at Celtic, ensuring that the player feels cared for during an unsettling time for him.
The situation in his homeland is reported to have upset the winger and he is said to have held talks with the club hierarchy after a recent fan display at Celtic Park. [Football Scotland]
Some pundits and observers have even suggested it could lead to a premature exit from the club, but Rodgers has moved to assuage those fears. He wants to make sure his player feels cared for.
To that end, Rodgers has been spending some one-on-one time with Abada to make sure the winger knows there is a future for him in Glasgow.
The Celtic boss said [Daily Record, 22/10 print edition page 58]: “I’d flown back on the Sunday and I went to a charity game. I left that to pick up Liel and took him up to have a bit of food and just get to understand what he was thinking and the traumas he’s gone through and everything. I don’t pretend to care about my players, I genuinely care about them.
“I always think that helps them play to a better level. That’s the whole idea about taking him out for a bite to eat. He’s a football player but he’s 22 years of age and in a foreign country. It is a tough period for him. His father had been over with him for a month and he was going back the next day, so he’s had his girlfriend here and his father here. But, of course, his mum is still back there. So you have to be there for them and to support them. I think, as we see from a distance, it’s a real sad state.
“My job is to reassure him that everyone here at Celtic within the Celtic family will always support him. As a player at Celtic, that’s what they do. Supporters support their own and their players. Then us as staff and the people within the club all really want him to succeed and do well here and he loves and enjoys being here. Of course, there are always going to be lots of opinions in terms of people, what to do, but he loves being here. He signed a new deal to stay here. He’s keeping an eye on what is happening back home but just working his way back to fitness.”
Rodgers is well known for his man-management skills – he’s been lauded by many of his former players for them. It’s heartening that he is taking the time and effort to support Abada – nobody wants him to feel like he isn’t welcome.
It’d be great to see him recover well from injury and any personal upset to show off his attacking skills in the team once again. Disagreements and differences of opinion, even involving sections of the support, do not have to lead to dysfunction at the club. Unity is a strong contributor to sporting success.
In other news, Celtic stars flock to Tomoki Iwata’s Instagram post; Luis Palma echoes Ange Postecoglou.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
