After tying up another Premiership crown, Rodgers insists he is ‘200-per-cent certain’ to stay put at Parkhead

By GARY KEOWN

Brendan Rodgers has hit out at speculation linking him with a summer move from Celtic and insisted it is now ‘200-per-cent’ certain he will be in the Parkhead manager’s job next season.

Rodgers saw his side tie up the Premiership title with a 5-0 win at Tannadice yesterday and came out swinging after a week which saw the likes of Rangers legend Ally McCoist tout him for a summer move to Tottenham Hotspur should his Bhoys predecessor Ange Postecoglou leave as expected.

‘It’s been interesting, I’ve got to say, the last few months with people deciding where I was supposed to be going and I wasn’t happy,’ he said. ‘I would say: “Listen to what I say, not what people try to anticipate (is) my mood and what I might be”.

‘I said 150 per cent. It is 200 per cent that I’ll be here for sure next season because we want to build again, we want to grow. What I’ll also say is there are very, very few people that know me and there’s even less understand me.

‘So that’s a really really small group of people. When I see all the headlines, I don’t have an agent, so I don’t have an agent spinning a story for me or anything like that.

‘It’s just a guess. If there’s a headline out there, I am telling you it’s a guess because I have hardly anyone who knows what I think and actually understands how I work.

Rodgers celebrates at full-time following Celtic’s 5-0 win over Dundee United to seal title 

The Celtic manager relaxes now that the Premiership trophy has been confirmed

It wasn’t all good news, however, with Jota leaving Tannadice on crutches

‘I am so, so happy. I came back because of the professional challenge of Celtic, knowing the pressures. My emotional attachment to the club clearly has me here rather than be elsewhere.

‘It’s just the chance to be the best manager at Celtic that I can possibly be. Days like today make it really special.’ Rodgers will enter the final year of a three-year contract next summer, but wouldn’t go as far as to say that he is ready to extend that deal when quizzed.

Asked if he feels he still has more to achieve at the Glasgow giants, he replied: ‘Yeah, I believe so. It’s two years we’re nearly into a three-year deal. I said minimum I would be three years.’

‘The big thing with Celtic is about having the energy and there are lots of other things. Of course, as any manager, you need to feel wanted, you need to feel appreciated. You need to feel that you can develop a team, that you can develop a club.

‘So there are lots of things that come into it, but I definitely know that we want to finish better than we did last year — and then I’ll go into next year super-hungry to beat this year.

‘I want to stay in the present, really. I don’t want to think too much forward because, like I said, I love the time here.

‘It has felt different this time. Obviously, there was always that bit of awkwardness and difficulty coming back, but it never affected me in terms of wanting to be as professional as I could.

‘To make the club successful, to make the team successful. That hunger to do that is still burning strongly inside.

‘I want to take that into next season and see what happens.’

Portuguese winger Jota was taken off during the first half with a knee injury and left Tannadice on crutches and with his knee in a brace. Rodgers admitted he is feeling pain around his meniscus, but stated he will be assessed in the next couple of days.

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After tying up another Premiership crown, Rodgers insists he is ‘200-per-cent certain’ to stay put at Parkhead

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