Brendan Rodgers in no rush to make decision on extending Celtic stay

Brendan Rodgers has claimed that he is in no rush to make a decision on extending his stay beyond his initial three-year contract.

Right back Alistair Johnston recently signed a new deal to stay at the club until 2029 and Rodgers remains hopeful an agreement can be reached with another full-back, Greg Taylor, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

But the former Leicester City boss insists that he is in no rush to make a decision on his own future as he approaches the halfway point of his contract.

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When he returned to Glasgow last summer, the former Liverpool boss insisted he would not leave Celtic during his three-year contract unless he was “emptied” and there is little chance of that after following last season’s double with impressive form so far this term.

When asked about his own future, Rodgers referred back to those comments and added: “I said I’d be here for three years. And after the three years, I’ll have done nearly six years as a Celtic manager, which is a long time for a Celtic manager.

“But I haven’t really thought about it. I think for nearly a year, there was probably more people wanting me out than in. So I’m not going to be talking about new contracts now. I just need to continue to work well, do my very best for the club.

“And I’m pretty sure at some point next season, we can see how we’re going and then take it from there.

“But at the minute, I love my life here. It’s an amazing club to work in. Funny enough, going away and coming back has made it even better for me because I knew what I missed when I was away.

“So I’m not in a big rush to be leaving it again. But it’s a great place to be. I love working with the players.

“They say in life, the biggest currency you have is time. And I think when you get to 51 and as you get older, you realise that. Time around people you love, around your family, around your workplace. And I would have to agree with that.

“And where I am at the minute, I’m in a brilliant place. So just keep it that way.”

Rodgers ended his first spell at Celtic when he left for Leicester 24 hours before a midweek game against Hearts at Tynecastle. He will get to experience a floodlit game in Gorgie when he takes his team to tackle Neil Critchley’s team on Saturday night.

“I think the last time I was there at night, I was Liverpool manager,” he said. “We played hearts in a Europa League game, I think it was.

“Every other game has obviously been a 12 o’clock kick-off or whatever it is, an early kick-off in the day.

“But my experience there, whether it’s night or day, it’s always an intense game.

“Hearts, in terms of the position that they’re in, it doesn’t quite probably align with some of the performances they’ve had. I think they’ve performed fairly well from what I’ve seen, but not quite got the results.

“With Neil coming in, he’s an excellent coach who will look to organise them, get them working hard and playing good football. So every game we’re there, we expect a tough game.”

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