Celtic travel to Ayr United tonight, and excitement is in the air as supporters get to see their heroes in action for the first time this term.

Of course, it is also a chance for Brendan Rodgers and Scott Brown to catch up following their dominant level of success at the club, winning seven straight trophies in conjunction during the Irishman’s first spell in charge.

Speaking yesterday, the Celtic manager revealed he and his old captain had a surprise catch-up over the summer break, and Brown came round to his house in Majorca to enjoy a few hours discussing all aspects of football.

With both preparing their sides for the opening of Somerset Park’s new North Stand, the man on the other side of the dugout had some generous words for Rodgers amid his successful 2023/24 campaign.

Scott Brown on Brendan Rodgers doing a ‘fantastic’ job at Celtic

Brown explained [BBC Sport]: “It’s the standards he sets, what he expects and the detail that he goes into with the players as well. He’s got Callum (McGregor) there, who’s a leader and understands the way he wants to play from before.

“That’s been obviously a huge help from him as well, and you can see the further on the season went, the stronger they got. For him to come back, it was obviously going to be hard, but he’s managed to get through that little storm and showed what he can do at the end.

“I had full faith in Brendan doing a fantastic job at Celtic [again]. He has done it before; you know what he’s all about, how well he works and how much he wants to be at the club.”

Brown will have experience of Rodgers’ meticulous nature first-hand and has rightly credited Callum McGregor for his exceptional leadership since taking the captain baton in 2021.

There were bumps last season, ones that made some question whether Celtic had the mettle to weather the ‘storm’ and claim Scottish Premiership glory. They did just that when others crumbled under the pressure.

Now, all focus at Lennoxtown is on vital preparations for another exciting season. Hopefully, the Bhoys can rise to the challenge in 2024/25.

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