‘I regret the hurt it caused people’ - Brendan Rodgers addresses criticism he faced after leaving Celtic in 2019

Brendan Rodgers has opened up on quitting Celtic for English Premier League side Leicester City in February 2019 - admitting he doesn’t regret the decision but understands why supporters felt let down.

The Northern Irishman addressed the media this afternoon alongside CEO Michael Nicholson and chairman Peter Lawwell for the first time since being re-appointed as manager of the club on a three-year deal earlier this week and revealed his only regret was the hurt his departure caused at the time.

Fans were left enraged when the 50-year-old decided to jump ship midway through the season as the Scottish champions chased an unprecedented Treble Treble and a small section have yet to forgive him for walking away at such a crucial period of the campaign.

Rodgers has now promised supporters he won’t walk out on the club before the end of his contract again and joked the only way he won’t see out his three years in Glasgow’s East End is if he was to get sacked.

The former Liverpool boss is determined to win over fans - in particular ultras group the Green Brigade who branded him a “fraud” - by bringing more success to the club after making the bold decision to cancel his planned year-long sabbatical from the game to return as Ange Postecoglou’s successor on Monday.

“I’ve signed for three years and I guarantee I’ll be here for three years unless I get emptied before that,” Rodgers stated.

Asked about supporters feelings towards his re-appointment, Rodgers admitted: “I would understand how supporters would feel. I also know that the first time I was here, when we were doing really well, I always had critics. It was an emotional time, the club was going for ten-in-a-row and there was a lot of emotions.

“I never get too emotional with words, I’m hoping that my time here I can have that impact I had in my first time. I think the expectation and pressure is greater because of what we did the first time and probably how we left. But that was what I wanted, that’s why I’m here. I’m here to win, to take on that expectation and pressure because it’s a club that wants to be winning.

“The people I’ve had lots of support from, when I left and now I’m back, I thank them for that. For the people that maybe don’t want me here, hopefully with the football we play and success we have, I can shift their opinion. I hope that I can still have (a good relationship). I think it’s natural that when I left it was a sad moment.

“I certainly don’t regret it but I regret the hurt it caused people. It’s the very reason I’m sat here today. As a Celtic supporter I understood what it meant, and porbably more so when I left. That was my regret and it was a big part of me coming back. It was a sad time because of the relationships I had built up. Despite what I have read and what I hear, I wouldn’t be sat here if I didn’t have the relationship with the guys around the table.”

Rodgers will team up with John Kennedy again as his assistant manager, admitting he was delighted the long-serving coach opted against linking up with Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur. He said: “I’ve always come into clubs, sometimes on my own or with staff. But I’ve always felt coming back here that it was important for John to be here.

“He knows how I work, the rhythm of my days and is steeped in Celtic. He has the respect of everyone and when I spoke to him to convince him to stay, I was pleased that he wanted to.”