LONDON, United Kingdom, Jun 1 – Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers claims he has been shunned by some of his family since quitting Celtic to return to the Premier League.
Former Liverpool boss Rodgers infuriated Hoops fans when he left the Scottish champions to take charge at the Foxes in February 2019.
With several of Rodgers’ relatives supporting the Glasgow side, the 47-year-old has revealed he felt the cold shoulder closer to home as well.
Speaking to the Beautiful Game Podcast, Rodgers said: “I had family who were just distraught I left Celtic, just couldn’t believe it.
“I have relations that haven’t spoken to me since the day I left Celtic.
“Because it meant so much to them. And if you carry on like that too much, you’ll never do anything.
“But I had some unforgettable memories at Celtic that will live with me for a lifetime, that I still think about now and I then came into my next experience.”
Celtic went on to clinch a third consecutive domestic treble under Neil Lennon in the months after Rodgers left.
The Northern Irishman believes his move came at the right time for both himself and Celtic because they were in such a strong position.
“We had won the League Cup, eight points clear, and the team is in a good position in the Scottish Cup as well. If it was one point, I couldn’t leave,” Rodgers said.
“But when I spoke with my staff and took the ultimate decision, I felt the team was in a good place, there’s a mentality now within the team and you feel, not just with hindsight, the club could continue – go and win the treble again.
“There will be fors and against that but ultimately you have to be unsentimental in football life because this is a business. When you have to make decisions, you have to be unsentimental.”
