Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has commented on how he urged Jonny Hayes not to join the club.
Aberdeen’s Jonny Hayes (C) scores their first goal
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has told The Express that he told Aberdeen ace Jonny Hayes to reject a move to join the Bhoys in 2003.
The Bhoys take on Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Friday evening, and will be hoping to move another step closer to completing an unbeaten season.
Derek McInnes’ side will be looking to spoil the part though, and they can call upon winger Jonny Hayes – the only non-Celtic player nominated for the PFA Scottish Premiership Player of the Year award.
Winger Hayes, 29, lost out to Scott Sinclair for that award, but will be desperate to show Celtic what he can do having hit seven goals and 12 assists in the Scottish Premiership this season.
Friday’s game will also see Irishman Hayes take on his former Reading youth coach Brendan Rodgers, who has masterminded Celtic’s domestic dominance this season.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
Hayes didn’t enjoy much success with Reading, failing to make a single first-team appearance for the Royals, before moving on to Leicester City, Inverness and most recently Aberdeen.
Ahead of Friday’s game, Rodgers has told The Express that Hayes almost joined Celtic way back in 2003, but he managed to convince the winger to pick Reading instead.
Stuart Armstrong of Celtic and Jonny Hayes of Aberdeen in action
Rodgers added that he had a tough time convincing Hayes – then just 15 – to snub joining Martin O’Neill’s side, and praised the winger for being a ‘breath of fresh air’ at Reading.
“He was ready to join Celtic and I talked him out of it,” said Rodgers. “It was just, ‘You don’t want to go to Celtic!’ Martin O’Neill was manager at the time, so imagine the job I had convincing him not to go to Celtic. With players you have to hook them emotionally and that was important because I was trying to bring in the best young talent to Reading.”
“We had a good academy with lots of good players and Jonny was a breath of fresh air. He was a courageous little bugger. He had a great talent, really natural as well as great speed, strength and pace,” he added.
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