Brendan Rodgers is convinced that Celtic’s squad will be strong enough to help them perform at a continued high standard across four competitions this season.
Despite losing star player Matt O’Riley, who joined English Premier League side Brighton last month, the Hoops arguably came out of the transfer window even stronger than they entered it with the arrivals of Kasper Schmeichel, Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo, Auston Trusty, Arne Engels and Luke McCowan.
That could be an ominous sign for the rest of the league as early signs suggest that last season’s double winners are looking in better form than last season.
They will compete in three different competitions over the next week, starting at home to Hearts in the Premiership on Saturday before taking on Slovan Bratislava in their Champions League opener on Wednesday and then Falkirk in the League Cup quarter-finals next week.
Speaking on Friday, Rodgers said he is pleased with how the squad is looking.
He said: “I think the strength for us is over the course of the season, it’s not just for now.
“It’s a really long season and when you think there’s no break that we’ve had for a number of years up here, there’s international football for many of the players, so having that depth of squad, in order to keep the rhythm, to keep the intensity, to keep the speed, and the functionality of the team, that’s important.
“So, I’m really pleased, we done really well in the window with the players we brought in and we are really happy with that.
“We still want to improve going forward, but the players we’ve brought in will improve and get better and the squad is looking strong.
“Firstly the players that were already here have been fantastic, the level we were at in pre-season was a really high level at that stage, those guys then continued that into the league and we’ve brought in other guys to strengthen that.
“That puts us in a good place to develop the talents, to keep improving them, and more importantly, to help them fit into our structure.”
Captain Callum McGregor was named as the Premiership player of the month for August after a string of impressive performances.
Surprisingly it is the first time the midfielder has won the award despite being an ever present in successful sides over the years.
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