Jose Mourinho says Brendan Rodgers should’ve stayed at Celtic until the summer

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Football legend Jose Mourinho has backed Celtic in the Brendan Rodgers debate, as he stated the Northern Irishman should’ve stayed until the summer.

Rodgers’ shock move to Leicester City came out of the blue for supporters. But, most disappointingly, it came ahead of two massive away games against Hearts and Hibs. Celtic were left with their organisation for those fixtures in tatters.

Fortunately for the Hoops, John Kennedy refused to follow Rodgers to the King Power Stadium. New interim manager Neil Lennon has claimed that Kennedy will be a big influence on things between now and the summer.

But Rodgers’ departure has seen his stock fall massively with the Celtic supporters. And Mourinho, who famously managed Porto to UEFA Cup success over Celtic back in 2003, told beIN Sports that Rodgers had made the right move at the wrong time.

“If you ask me whether I’m surprised that Brendan would move from Celtic to Leicester I would say no. The Scottish championship, no disrespect, is not the Premier League.

“Celtic is a giant club, but the Premier League is the Premier League. So I’m not surprised that he comes.

“If I was in his position I would say ‘I want to come to you, but not now. I want to come next season and be champion of Scotland and leave at the right moment’. In my opinion, the right moment would be pre-season.”

Exactly what the Celtic fans have been saying

Mourinho has never been a popular figure amongst the Celtic support. Sections of the Hoops fans have never forgiven him for how his Porto team behaved in that clash back in 2003.

But the Portuguese says all the things Celtic fans believe here. Rodgers could easily have left at the end of the season as a treble-treble winner. His legacy at Parkhead would’ve been secured, and fans would have him up there with the likes of Jock Stein and Martin O’Neill.

But his attitude and actions here have spoiled all of that. The Celtic supporters likely won’t ever forgive him for what they see as a lack of respect to the football club.

Rodgers has claimed he could one day come back to manage the club again. Don’t count on it though. Supporters have an incredible disdain for him, and it’s debatable as to whether that goes away or not.

Mourinho may be a controversial figure in football, but even he can see that Rodgers is morally wrong here. That the former Celtic boss refuses to acknowledge that notion, however, is disappointing.