However, Rodgers insisted: “I see Jozo’s future very much here. He has been out injured and probably hasn’t had that consistent run as a Celtic player.
“But he has everything really. He is good in the air, quick and serves the ball well.
“I have been involved at both ends of the Premier League, so I know the finances involved. It’s very hard if a player is offered 80, 90 or 100 grand a week to say no to that.
“But, being a young player, Jozo has time. He just needs to get back fit and becoming available for every game.
“Once he does that and shows consistently how he has been in the last number of weeks – if he can have a run like that over the next couple of years – then, of course, he is going to be a sought-after player.
“Centre-halves and strikers, in particular, are very much in demand. If you have a top one then even more so.
“I’m not aware of other clubs looking, but there is always speculation around players, isn’t there?
“Jozo, though, is a big player for us. I said at the time that I was delighted he never went to Torino. I hadn’t seen a lot of him at that stage. That was the thing.
“Thankfully, it fell through and he stayed. As soon as you saw him back in training, you thought: ‘Once this boy is fit, we have a proper player here.’
“You saw the ease with which he went through the game on Sunday.
“Both centre-halves were outstanding. I’m having to manage him back in because he’s been out for so long. You just have to be careful with a young player when he’s had that injury.
“You can’t just throw him into three games in a week, hence the reason I brought Kolo Toure with his experience. And Kolo can’t play three games in a row and that’s the honesty of that.
“But Erik Sviatchenko alongside has been the pillar, he’s been really consistent, looks composed and calm on the ball – but he defends on the front foot, he’s pushing things forward and is becoming a real leader in there.”
