Brendan Rodgers has offered his view on Graeme Murty – and revealed he doesn’t know anything about Pedro Caixinha.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has told BBC Sport that he thinks Graeme Murty has done an ‘excellent job’ in charge of Rangers – and told The Telegraph that he has never heard of Pedro Caixinha.
The Bhoys host Old Firm rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon, with the two teams in very different situations right now.
Whilst Celtic sit top of the Scottish Premiership table with just two points dropped all season and closing in on an unbeaten league campaign, Rangers have been chaotic on and off the pitch.
After some poor results – including a 4-1 defeat away at Hearts – former manager Mark Warburton left Rangers in February, and the Gers have spent the last month searching for a replacement.
Warburton’s successor has now been found, as Portuguese manager Pedro Caixinha is set to leave Al-Gharafa to take the Rangers job on a three-and-a-half year contract, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Caixinha, 46, won’t take charge of Sunday’s Old Firm derby though, as interim boss Graeme Murty will again be in the Rangers dugout for the sixth consecutive game.
The youth coach stepped up to take Warburton’s place on a caretaker basis, and has picked up three wins – including last weekend’s 6-0 Scottish Cup win over Hamilton – as well as two defeats.
Pedro Caixinha
Ahead of Sunday’s game, Rodgers – who arrived as Reading manager just weeks after Murty’s exit from the Madejski Stadium in 2009 – has told BBC Sport that he thinks the Rangers stand-in has done an excellent job, and thinks that Gers players will be focused despite the managerial situation.
“The players are professional enough to get on with it,” said Rodgers. “Graeme’s done an excellent job. It’s not an easy situation when you’re working with the younger players and then you’ve got to step into the position when the manager goes.”
“I’m sure whatever way it works out for him, he’ll have benefited from it. Coming to Celtic Park on Sunday, I’m sure he’s looking forward to it. The players have to be focused, and I’m sure they’ll be coming to get a good result.”
Rodgers was also asked about Ibrox-bound Caixinha, but told The Telegraph; “I have never heard of him,” mirroring what many Rangers fans thought when he become the favourite for the job.
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