Brendan Rodgers believes his Celtic squad needs further reinforcement as they prepare to kick off their William Hill Premiership title defence at home to St Mirren next weekend.
The Hoops boss declared that the group he currently has at his disposal is “in a really good place” after rounding off their pre-season campaign with a penalty shootout win over Al Ahli in the Como Cup following a 1-1 draw at Stadio Sinigaglia on Saturday night.
However, Rodgers is still eager to add more new faces to ensure Celtic are at the level he would like for the rigours of the season ahead.
“Well, I think the squad that we have currently is in a really good place,” the manager said in a club interview after the Al Ahli match. “The guys that are here have worked very, very hard but we need to improve this squad in general so I’m hopeful that we can do that over the coming weeks.
“But the guys that have been with us from the first day and the guys coming in, they’ve worked so hard, put so much into it. And now we go back, we’ll have a really good week when we get home, and then we’ll look forward to the first day of the season next Sunday.”
Celtic’s latest new recruit, Shin Yamada, made a positive impact on his first outing for the club. The 25-year-old Japanese forward scored the winning penalty a week after arriving on a four-year deal from J League side Kawasaki Frontale.
“He has been settling in,” said Rodgers. “It’s never easy, when you think where he’s come from on the other side of the world, and then he’s in straightaway, adapting to a new intensity, which is always tough. And then you’re travelling.
“But he’s worked very hard in training. It was nice for him to get that little moment at the end and this obviously rounds off our pre-season in terms of fixtures.
“It was a good exercise for us. Obviously, pre-season is about fitness, but it’s also about togetherness and spirit and I think the players showed that in the second half. It’s a nice way to finish.”
