Rodgers hails professionalism of Celtic's fringe players
Brendan Rodgers praised the impact of Celtic's fringe players, and says he can rely on anyone in his squad to perform when called upon.
Celtic's clash with Ross County on Saturday will be their fifth game in the last two weeks, and Rodgers has rotated his starting XI in order to manage the congested fixture list.
The Premiership leaders beat St Mirren 2-1 on Wednesday thanks to goals from David Turnbull and Oh Hyeon-gyu, two players who have found minutes hard to come by this season, and Rodgers was pleased with their contributions.
“It’s what you want to see and it’s testament to their professionalism,” Rodgers said.
“You can’t come in like David Turnbull the other night and play to the level and score the goal he did if you are not focused in training and working very hard.
“The intensity the players produce every single day is first class so that allows them to be ready when they do come in.
“All the guys that came in in midweek made a very important contribution.
“It is one game at a time but you can’t deny you have to plan forward as well.”
Rodgers also pointed to Liam Scales as an example for players wanting to break into the first-team fold at Celtic.
“The players deserve huge credit as well because they come in very professional to work and they know it can change very quickly in football.
“You might be outside of it but then you get a chance and you have to be ready.
“Liam (Scales) is the perfect example. On the outside, not even travelling with some of the squads, and then gets the chance to play and because of that mentality and professional approach, he steps in and he is ready and he has gained confidence and is now playing at a very high level.
“We want players who are selfless. You are here to develop and improve as a player.
“All you can do is give your all every single day of your life, prepare yourself well, and then it’s up to me to pick the team. You can do no more than that."
