Alexandro Bernabei bombed out of Celtic squad by hardline Brendan Rodgers after sleeping in and missing meeting

Hardline Brendan Rodgers dropped Alexandro Bernabei for stepping out of line ahead of Celtic’s Premiership opener.

The left-back was late for a team meeting after sleeping in and was left out of last Saturday’s flag-raising win over Ross County. The no-nonsense Celtic boss is a stickler for the highest standards on and off the pitch. Rodgers has made it clear to the Argentine defender that not being punctual and on time for a pre-match gathering was not acceptable. The 22-year-old paid the price by missing the 4-2 triumph over County.

Bernabei now faces an anxious wait to see if he can force his way back into his manager’s squad and thinking for the weekend clash at Aberdeen. Rodgers has made it clear to the player and the rest of his squad that he expects everybody at the club to work and hold themselves to the very highest standards. There were a couple of minor incidents with players since the summer and Rodgers has made it clear that he won’t tolerate anything but his players being disciplined and totally professionals at all times.

The move is a blow to Bernabei as he tries to dislodge Greg Taylor from the left-back slot with the Treble-winners. Bernabei has been fighting to become a first pick since he arrived from Lanus in June last year. Rodgers took over from Ange Postecoglou in the summer and is determined to raise the standards again in his second spell at Celtic Park.