PREMIER CLASS
Redknapp tips Rodgers for top-six job in England
JAMIE REDKNAPP has insisted that Brendan Rodgers could manage any of the top six clubs in the English Premier League after being impressed by the miracle he is working at Celtic.
A comfortable victory at St Johnstone on Saturday saw the Scottish champions move on to 63 domestic games without loss — surpassing the existing British record held by the Parkhead side of 1917.
And writing in The Verdict today, Redknapp says: ‘If I was a Premier League chairman searching for a new manager, I would look no further than Brendan Rodgers. He could manage any of the clubs in the top six.
‘He has done a remarkable job at Celtic. Only a fool would say
that his achievements are merely down to the standard of the Scottish league. ‘His greatest asset is how he improves players. Premier League chairmen will be looking at him and thinking: “He will improve the value of my players”. ‘I got to know Brendan after he left Liverpool. He is such an impressive person and you can see why players want to give their all for him. ‘While Celtic will not want to lose him, Rodgers is a manager tailor-made for the Premier League.’ The win in Perth at the weekend has secured a place in the history books for this current Celtic team and Scott Sinclair last night predicted that the only Scottish side who could now stop Celtic are themselves. Remarkably, in a run stretching back to the 7-0 win over Motherwell on May 15, 2016, Celtic have drawn just seven games, with 183 goals being scored and just 35 conceded. ‘Is ourselves the only thing that can stop us?’ said Sinclair. ‘That’s it. Because when you look at what we’ve achieved, it’s down to us. We need to keep improving, not get complacent and keep moving in the right direction. It is down to us to take every game as it comes. ‘It’s great and the run just shows the team spirit, the hard work we have put in and the mentality we have. ‘This is a squad that wants to win and it’s a great achievement for the club to get this run.’ Asked if the historical significance of the feat had fully sunk in, Sinclair replied: ‘We haven’t thought about it too much, although I’m sure in the weeks to come we will realise it. ‘I haven’t been looking back at the team from the past. It’s only what people have been telling me. ‘For us, it has been about not thinking too much about it and focusing on the goals we have set, which is to keep winning. ‘We want to raise the bar. It’s down to mentality, the squad and the team wants to do well. ‘Against Bayern everyone gave it 100 per cent and I’m sure there were a lot of players running more in those games. ‘But we went to St Johnstone and gave it the same amount of effort because the confidence and mentality is there to make sure our standards don’t drop.’