Rodgers urges need for continual Celtic progression

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is in the final year of his contract

Brendan Rodgers insists he is "very happy" at Celtic and relaxed about his contract situation before stressing his desire for continually raising standards, saying he is "not the type of manager that's good at maintaining anything".

The 52-year-old is in the final 12 months of the deal he agreed when returning to the Scottish champions in the summer of 2023.

"There's no further update," replied Rodgers when asked about a possible contract extension.

"When I came back at first I said I'd do three years minimum and people had me out the door at the end of last season.

"I said then like I'll say now, there's nowhere to go. I love being here. I've done two years, I've got one more to go."

In his second stint in Glasgow, Rodgers has delivered two titles, a Scottish Cup and a League Cup, adding to the seven trophies he won between May 2016 and February 2019.

"[Principal shareholder] Dermot [Desmond], [chief executive] Michael [Nicholson] and I had a conversation over the summer on where we are at and I said I'm very happy here," he said.

"There's conditions we want to be able to improve because I'm not the type of manager that's good at maintaining anything. If there's just something to maintain, I'm not the manager for Celtic.

"But to build, grow, develop and push, then, of course, I love being at Celtic."

Celtic open their title defence at home to St Mirren on Sunday, with Kieran Tierney, Benjamin Nygren and Shin Yamada among seven new recruits.

But in a separate interview with Sky Sports, Rodgers pointed to "gaps in the squad that are very clear".

Nicolas Kuhn and Greg Taylor have been the high-profile departures, while Jota is sidelined with a long-term injury.

"This is a really fast moving club, it's one of the biggest clubs in world football and it's got a demand and expectation on it," added the former Liverpool and Leicester City boss, who confirmed that a loan deal for Manchester City defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey is imminent.

"The message to the supporters is everyone here will be doing their utmost to improve on last season.

"It's a really exciting season ahead and if we can add where we need to add, it can be even better for us."

Returning to the questions on his future, Rodgers added: "I know what I give every single day. If the club choose to offer (a new contract) and see that as the way forward great, if not, it doesn't really matter in relation to what I give to the job."