Celtic captain Scott Brown insists he and the rest of the squad are delighted that Brendan Rodgers will be their manager for next season.

The former Liverpool boss has been out of work since last year, when the Reds decided to replace him with former Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp.

He had been linked with a return to Swansea as well as a number of Premier League clubs, but Celtic confirmed on Friday that they had handed Rodgers a 12-month rolling contract.

Rodgers’ first task will be to get the club into the UEFA Champions League after a disappointing campaign last year, while the Hoops are also looking to win their sixth league title in a row.

Although Brown has yet to meet the 43-year-old, he is adamant that the appointment has already had a positive impact on the squad and fanbase.

Brown told the club’s official website: “I was down in London when I heard and it’s great news.

The lads are in a group chat and we speak quite a lot and we are all delighted with Brendan coming in.

It will be a fresh start for everyone and everyone will have to prove their worth.

“It’s definitely exciting. The players he will attract himself will be huge and everyone seemed to love his coaching at Liverpool and Swansea so it will be great for us to learn off him as well.

“He has done really well with his previous clubs, almost winning the league at Liverpool, and he has Champions League experience.

Hopefully he comes here and we can continue to win leagues and cups and get into the Champions League.”