CELTIC boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted he may have been too hasty to axe international keeper Craig Gordon.
The 33-year-old shotstopper will make his Champions League group stage debut this evening when he faces Manchester City at a sold-out Celtic Park.
“The beauty of it is that Craig wants to improve and I believe he has done. He’s a great fellow.
“Craig and I had a really good chat when I was going to make the change. I maybe made that change too early. Dorus was injured and he’d come back and maybe I pushed him in too early, to try to impose that way we want to work.
“So, I take that responsibility. But the bottom line is that we have to win games and Craig and I looked at areas we think he can improve on.
“He has gone away with our goalkeeping coach, Stevie Woods, and when he has come into training, he has been absolutely brilliant, taking it all on board.
“It has given him a determination and, when you’re fighting for your place, it allows you to perform better and focus. He has been first class.”
Asked if Gordon was stronger for being left out and fighting back, Rodgers said: “Yeah, if you speak to him now he will probably say that. It has taken him that time to come out of the team and assess the types of ideas we are looking to implement.
“He has come back a better goalkeeper, that’s for sure.”