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Brendan Rodgers admits Olivier Ntcham wasn’t fit enough for Celtic at first

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is seen during a training session at Lennoxtown on December 29, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
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Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham has had to cope with an increased work-load so far this season.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is seen during a training session at Lennoxtown on December 29, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Brendan Rodgers has told the Scotsman that Celtic’s Olivier Ntcham needed time to adapt to playing so regularly.

Ntcham was brought to Celtic from Manchester City in the summer transfer window, and initially there were some doubts expressed about the midfielder.

While Ntcham showed his class on occasion, his performances were inconsistent.

However, the £4.5 million man has really started to prove his worth in recent weeks.

Marco Verratti of PSG and Olivier Ntcham of Celtic during the UEFA Champions League group B match between Paris Saint-Germain and Celtic FC at Parc des Princes on November 22, 2017 in...

And Rodgers admits that Ntcham is now starting to adapt to the demands of playing for Celtic.

“It was just about bedding him in,” Rodgers said.

“When he came in it was about one game a week. You have to remember he played 40 games over two seasons [on loan with] Genoa. He’s already almost there in one season here. So that takes time to adapt to and then you add the pressure that comes with playing here to that as well.

“It’s just been about building his way through. He started to recover better during games and be able to go again in the next one. Now we’re at a stage of the season where it’s virtually one game a week and he can cope with that really well.”

Paris Saint-Germain's Italian midfielder Marco Verratti (L) passes the ball in front of Celtic's French midfielder Olivier Ntcham during the UEFA Champions League Group B football match...

Ntcham has now racked up 40 appearances for Celtic across all competitions, and looks to have become a mainstay in Rodgers’ starting line-up.

The 22-year-old has netted seven goals so far this season, and also claimed five assists.

Ntcham is starting to look as if he could turn into a bargain signing at £4.5 million, with his future looking extremely bright.

Ntcham will next be in action after the international break, when Celtic take on Ross County.