Brendan Rodgers names the Celtic quality that can never be underestimated with historic landmark fast approaching

In nearly 700 matches as a manager, a couple of bounce games in Japan probably won’t rank too highly in Brendan Rodgers’ greatest hits collection.

But the jaunt to the Far East was still a hugely valuable exercise for the returning Celtic manager as he put his stamp on the squad. Rodgers used the time to get to know his players. Not just get to know what they can do on the pitch – but to discover what really makes them tick. It’s a huge contrast for the Hoops players. Previous boss Ange Postecoglou had a different approach.

It was a hugely successful approach too, but it was true the Aussie preferred to keep his men at arms length. They could always knock on the door if they needed a chat, but with Rodgers, it’s left wide open. It’s a style of man management that’s served the Irishman well over the years – even if he himself can’t quite believe he’s creeping up towards football’s illustrious 1000 club.

Speaking as Celts prepared to check out of Japan and head back to Scotland, Rodgers said: “It’s funny, a few years ago I was the up and coming young manager and all of a sudden I’m 50 and have nearly 700 games under my belt. I started young obviously, but there’s been a fair few games and hopefully many more. I think the target was always to get to 1000 games and then assess it after that. To get to that number you have to have resilience and persistence.”

Those are qualities he wants to see in his squad as well – and he’s been digging deep over the last week. And he insisted getting to know his players is not just for show.

Rodgers said: “I always like to get to know the players so I can understand what their motivations and ambitions are. I’ve obviously been watching the team over the last few seasons.

“And they’ve