Jermaine Jenas believes Brendan Rodgers has excelled in Celtic’s managerial hotseat and taken the likes of Kieran Tierney and Scott Sinclair to new levels.
Celtic are on course to complete a magnificent treble as they go into Saturday’s Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen, after winning the Scottish Premiership and League Cup in Rodgers’ first season.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s The Friday Football Social (7.15pm), former Tottenham and England midfielder Jenas believes Rodgers has kept the 48-time Scottish champions motivated against weaker sides.
Jenas also believes that Rodgers has improved both Sinclair and Tierney, and claimed the latter is good enough to ply his trade in the top tier of English football.
“As a manager, he has improved them. There is talk of Tierney being capable of joining a Premier League side. Scott Sinclair is a mirror of the player he was last year,” Jenas said.
“The league is what it is, but they can only beat what is in front of him. To Celtic go unbeaten, from a mentality point of view, Rodgers has managed to maintain that concentration to keep them going.
“To keep the players fully focused when you have an off day, when the weather is bad or when the pitch isn’t good; Rodgers has done great.”
Celtic finished the Scottish Premiership season unbeaten, finishing 30 points clear of second-placed Aberdeen with a record points tally of 106 that brushed aside the Hoops’ effort of 103 points in 2001-02.
Left-back Tierney has been repeatedly reported as interesting a number of the Premier League’s biggest clubs ahead of the summer transfer window after starring in the Hoops’ side this term.
Former Man City Sinclair saw his career begin to stagnate at Aston Villa before moving to Celtic in the summer, where a reunion with Rodgers sparked a season that saw him score 25 goals in 49 league and cup outings.
The Hoops will now be hoping to make it six out of six against Derek McInnes’ side this season, as they travel to Hampden Park in search of a treble against the Dons.