CELTIC CONTRACT REBEL DUMPED

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CONTRACT rebel Daniel Kelly has been dumped by Brendan Rodgers from his pre-season plans.

The 18-year-old midfielder rejected the offer of a new deal from the champions and can walk away when his terms expire at the turn of the year.

Kelly was handed his debut by Rodgers in the 5-0 Scottish Cup win over Buckie Thistle at Parkhead in January and went on to make eight first-team appearances while claiming his first goal in the 7-1 rout of Dundee the following month.

NO GO…Brendan Rodgers has binned contract rebel Daniel Kelly.

However, there has been no sign of the teen ace in the Parkhead side’s pre-season games against Ayr United, a 1-1 draw at Somerset Park a week ago, and the 6-4 win over Queen’s Park at Lesser Hampden on Wednesday.

Winger Rocco Vata also rejected an extension offer from the Hoops and joined Watford last week in a deal which will see the double winners receive a compensation fee of only £240,000.

Unless there is a dramatic change in the situation, Kelly will not be included the squad which will fly out to America a week tomorrow for warm-up matches against DC United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Rodgers said tersely: “There’s no impasse. Daniel, like Rocco Vata before him, has been offered a deal.

“With the greatest respect, I have worked with young players and I know the levels of young players and where they’re at from a technical perspective and a financial perspective.

FAREWELL TO THE HOOPS…Rocco Vata joined Watford last week.

“Rocco was offered a contract and he was going to be one of the three strikers at Celtic, but he decided that wasn’t going to be for him so he left.

“That is absolutely fine and we wish him all the very best. Similarly, Daniel, as a young player, has been offered a really good contract by the club.

“It’s a contract that would see him come into the first team squad and play and perform and develop because he has a lot of development to do.”

Rodgers, speaking to the Scottish Sun, continued: “I spoke with the agents and the player some months back to say: ‘Listen, if we can’t tidy this up by the summer, then it’s very hard to be with the team in pre-season’.

“It’s as simple as that.

ON THE MOVE…Daniel Kelly in action in one of his eight first-team appearances last season.

“I like Daniel, but he has a lot of work to do and I feel that for him and his family, this is a great place for him to be able to do that.

“You’ve got a manager who sees a talent there, who sees the physicality that he has and the areas he needs to brush up on.

“What a great club and place this is for him to be able to do that. If that’s not enough then that’s okay. It’s absolutely fine.”

The Celtic gaffer added: “You’ll go somewhere else and maybe play. But you never know.

“We’ve got until December, but it’s just disappointing at this stage that it hasn’t happened because he would have had a great opportunity this pre-season.

“I just know the value both in terms of the players’ qualities and the contract offer. The offers that the club gave were very good for young players in terms of where they’re at.”

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