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Brendan Rodgers vows Celtic will again make mark in Europe

Newly-appointed Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers 
Newly-appointed Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers  Newly-appointed Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers 

BRENDAN RODGERS vowed to make his mark in Europe with Celtic after being named as the new Parkhead boss.

The 43-year-old's appointment on a 12-month rolling contract was announced by the Ladbrokes Premiership champions and he will meet the media and then Hoops supporters on Monday. The former Swansea and Liverpool manager's first games will be the Champions League qualifiers in mid-July and he will look to take them to the group stages after an absence of two years under predecessor Ronny Deila.

Rodgers said he was "delighted" and "genuinely" honoured to be named manager and outlined his objectives: "The club has been in magnificent shape in recent years and has collected silverware regularly during this time," he said.

"My objective now, of course, is to continue this work, to keep us at the top and again make our mark in Europe. I have followed Celtic all my life and to be given this fantastic opportunity and to be part of such a truly great football club is a dream come true.

"I will give my new role everything I have and do all I can to bring our supporters exciting, entertaining and winning football. I know what a magnificent support Celtic enjoys and I can promise our fans one thing - that I will be doing everything I can to give you a team that you can be proud of and a team that delivers. I can't wait to be in Paradise [Celtic Park] with our team and our fans as we all get to work."

Rodgers will also face the challenge of old rivals Rangers as the Ibrox club will return to the top-flight for the first time four years. Gers boss Mark Warburton knows Rodgers from their time together at Watford and, speaking on Friday at the pre-match media conference for Saturday's William Hill Scottish Cup final with Hibernian, said: "He's very experienced, well organised, a good motivator, a good man-manager. He's a manager of the highest quality.

"He's worked in the Premier League and came within a slip of winning it, so there's no doubting Brendan's qualities. I like him very much as an individual, so if he is the man, he would be a great choice."

Carnlough man Rodgers has been out of work since being sacked by Liverpool last October, with the Anfield side sitting 10th in the Barclays Premier League, but will arrive in Scotland packing an impressive CV.

His first post in management was with Watford in 2008, where he helped the club avoid relegation. He quickly moved on to Reading but, while he lasted just six months with the Royals, he enjoyed a more fruitful spell with Swansea, leading the Welsh outfit to the English top-flight in the summer of 2011.

It was his performance with the Swans, guiding them to an 11th-place finish, which persuaded Liverpool to hire him just 12 months later. He even came close to masterminding the Reds' first English title since 1990 in season 2013/14, only for their challenge to slip away.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell described Rodgers as "a special manager": "We wanted to bring one of the biggest and best names to the club to match our own aspirations and those of our supporters - we believe, in appointing Brendan, that we have done this," he said.

"We have appointed a special manager and we are sure he can bring some special times to Celtic. Brendan is a highly-sought after manager and we are pleased that we have been able to bring such a high-calibre individual to Celtic.

"He has a huge and genuine affection for the club. I know Brendan feels privileged to be named Celtic manager and I know he will give us everything he has to be successful at Celtic. Above all, he will bring huge experience, knowledge and ability to the role."

Chairman Ian Bankier claimed Celtic had appointed "the outstanding candidate to take the club forward": "Brendan is a man with a tremendous pedigree in football management, he is someone who knows all about Celtic and someone who has a real passion for Celtic," he said.

"He is also a manager who we believe has the talent, the drive and the determination to bring continued success to the Club. We are sure Brendan will receive a fantastic welcome from our supporters and we now look forward with real excitement towards next season as we tackle the many challenges ahead, domestically and in Europe."