DORUS DEBUT WAS ‘TOO SOON’

BRENDAN RODGERS has admitted pitching Dorus de Vries into the Celtic first team too soon. Craig Gordon will start in goal against Manchester City tonight after his Dutch rival suffered a chest strain in Saturday’s 6-1 thrashing of Kilmarnock. De Vries has come under scrutiny after shipping 12 goals in his first five appearances and is likely to start on the bench, with Rodgers praising Gordon for his reaction to losing his first-team place to the former Nottingham Forest keeper. ‘Craig and I had a good chat when I was going to make the change,’ said the Celtic boss. ‘I maybe made the change too early. ‘Dorus was injured and he had come back. Maybe I pushed him in too early, to try to impose that way we want to work. So I take that responsibility. ‘Dorus isn’t 100 per cent and there is no need to take a risk for this game when I’ve got an outstanding goalkeeper beside him. So Craig will play.’ City represent Gordon’s first group-stage appearance in the Champions League at the age of 31 and Rodgers believes he will have benefited from his spell on the sidelines. ‘The bottom line is we have to win games and Craig and I looked at areas we think he can improve on,’ he said. ‘He’s gone away with Woodsy (goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods) and when he’s come into training he’s been absolutely brilliant, taking it on board. ‘It’s given him a determination and when you’re fighting for your place, it allows you to perform better and focus. He’s been absolutely first class. ‘The beauty of it is that Craig wants to improve and I think he has done. ‘You have to recognise with players that it’s difficult for them. I think if you speak to him now he will probably say that. ‘It has taken him that time to come out of the team and assess the types of ideas we are looking to implement. ‘I haven’t seen any real change in how he has been, but I think he comes back a better goalkeeper, that’s for sure.’

STEPHEN McGOWAN