Brendan Rodgers on 'bow at his feet' Paul McStay and…

Brendan Rodgers on 'bow at his feet' Paul McStay and his Jahmai Simpson-Pusey hopes

BRENDAN Rodgers has predicted that Manchester City loanee Jahmai Simpson-Pusey can establish himself as a regular starter in the Celtic first team this season as the teenage English centre-half edged closer to a temporary move to Parkhead.

Former England Under-18 defender Simpson-Pusey featured six times for City during the 2024/25 campaign – including against Sporting Lisbon and Feyenoord in the Champions League league phase.

Rodgers admitted that he will need time to assess the 19-year-old’s fitness levels before he will be able to determine when his new acquisition will be able to make his competitive debut for the Scottish champions.

However, the Northern Irishman, who already has Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales and Dane Murray in his squad, feels that his latest recruit has many qualities which will suit his Celtic side.

“He is a very gifted young player, obviously having come through the system there at Manchester City,” he said. “His profile fits very much with what we want from a centre-half. He’s quick, he’s dominant, he’s a good defender. At Celtic, your centre-halves need to be able to progress the ball and that’s a big strength of his.

“We’ve taken him on loan for a year. He’s obviously a little bit behind because he hasn’t played so many games over the course of pre-season, but we’ve brought him through for the rest of the season. Once that’s done, then we can measure where he’s at. He’s been training at Manchester City so we need to just assess that.

“We always need all our centre-halves at Celtic. You play so many games, so many intense games, and he’ll join our squad. But all of the players are here to compete. There’s always the opportunity for any player to come in and play, no matter how old.

(Image: SNS Group) “I’ve put young players in front of international players before. So every player that comes in has the opportunity to start. But, yeah, we’ll assess him on where he’s at and his fitness and his football when he comes in and take it from there.

“But adding him to our group makes us stronger in that department. There are lots of links with various players, but I would see him being not our last defender, but our last central defender.”

Meanwhile, lifelong Celtic fan Rodgers has admitted that he is looking forward to meeting up with Paul McStay again tomorrow when the Parkhead legend unfurls the league flag before the opening William Hill Premiership game of the season against St Mirren.

“Paul would probably play in two positions for me,” he said. “He was amazing. When the club spoke to me and told me that there was the possibility of him coming to do the flag day, I went into my boy mode again.

“What an amazing icon of the club he is. It’s just a shame you don’t see so much of him, he’s obviously on the other side of the world now. But that was my memories growing up - with Paul on the team. He is just an icon of the club, such a humble guy.

“I had the privilege of meeting him for the first time when I was here. He came into my office and it was just brilliant. To see him on Sunday will be amazing. He was such an icon at such a tough time for Celtic. I can’t speak highly enough of him.

“I don’t know Paul that well, but I know many people who do I was struck by the humility of the guy when I met him. All I really wanted to do was bow at his feet.”

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here