Rodgers was shunned by family after Celtic exit

BRENDAN Rodgers claims he has been shunned by some family members because he walked out on Celtic.

The Northern Irishman went from hero to villain in the eyes of many Celtic fans when he left Glasgow for Leicester in February last year.

And the 47-year-old has revealed some in that number include his own relatives.

Speaking to the Beautiful Game

Podcast, Rodgers said: “I had family who were just distraught I left Celtic, just couldn’t believe it.

“I have relations that haven’t spoken to me since the day I left Celtic.

“Because it meant so much to them. And if you carry on like that too much, you’ll never do anything.

“But I had some unforgettable memories at Celtic that will live with me for a lifetime, that I still think about now and I then came into my next experience.

“I left school with nothing. No qualifications, no nothing. My life has been based on experiences, hence the reason why I look for the experiences. And this, I felt, from a sporting perspective was going to be the next good experience.”

Celtic went on to clinch a third consecutive domestic treble under Neil Lennon in the months after Rodgers left and he insists he would not have left at that stage if they were not in such a good position.

“It is so difficult because, one, the people,” said the Leicester manager, whose team sit third in the soon-to-resume Premier League. “From when we went into the club and then, it was a different club. The connection between the supporters and the team was really strong. We were in an incredible period.”