Brendan Rodgers says player he signed is ‘worth a lot more’ than Celtic paid for him

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Brendan Rodgers has made six signings so far for Celtic this summer.

Kieran Tierney and Hayato Inamura have solidified the left side of defence, while young Isaac English will go straight into the Celtic B squad.

Ross Doohan replaces Scott Bain as Celtic’s third choice goalkeeper, with Callum Osmand signed on a development fee from Fulham.

The most expensive addition remains Benjamin Nygren, someone who Rodgers is ‘really excited’ about this season.

And after Nygren’s impressive display against Sporting CP, Rodgers has provided more insight into the abilities of the Swedish midfielder.

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Rodgers eulogises the qualities of Benjamin Nygren

Rodgers listed a number of qualities Nygren possesses, but says he’d like to work with him on improving his pressing as the season goes on.

Celtic bought him for just £1.7m and Rodgers has guaranteed fans that the 24-year-old is worth way more than that.

Rodgers told the Daily Record: “I’m really excited about him. He’s a talent but it’s about how these boys adapt to the pressure of being at Celtic. So far he has done very well.

“He moves so well. He’s fluid, he can play, one or two touches. I want to improve the intensity of his pressing but that will come.

“He covers the ground so easily. He can take the ball up the pitch and he has a lovely, deft pass on him.

“He’s a young player but he’s also a leader. He’s got a profile, he’s got authority. He was obviously captain for his former club so has great leadership qualities.

“He was obviously coming to the end of his contract and we were looking to maximise the value, so he’s clearly worth a lot more than that.”

Nygren’s impressive pre-season for Celtic

Nygren joined up with his new teammates last week at Celtic’s training camp base in Portugal.

He then made a promising debut against Estrela da Amadora last Saturday as he played the entirety of the second-half, grabbing an assist for Adam Idah’s goal.

On Wednesday evening, his levels stepped up against better opposition in Sporting CP and Celtic fans were wowed by his performance.

Rodgers is deploying him as a No.8 alongside Reo Hatate with Callum McGregor sitting just behind.