Dorus De Vries has not played for Celtic since September.
Brendan Rodgers has suggested that he has little concern about the prospect of Dorus De Vries wanting to leave Celtic during the January transfer window, according to Herald Scotland.
De Vries was reunited with Rodgers in the summer having previously worked with the Hoops boss at Swansea City. And the 36-year-old went into the first-team almost immediately after Craig Gordon’s early season struggles.
Celtic’s Dorus De Vries
However, he has not played for the Bhoys for months after having to be replaced at half-time during the club’s victory over Kilmarnock back in September. But while the lack of game-time may have led some to believe that he may be considering his options, Rodgers believes that the current understudy understands the situation.
“Goalkeepers understand and respect things and Dorus is a good guy,” he said, as reported by the Herald Scotland. “He’s an honest fella and understands where he’s at and that he’s a real part of the squad here even though he hasn’t played as much.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
“People wonder why I brought in Dorus, but he’s an influence on that as well Craig’s seen how he’s working and he’s able to sit with him and talk about how I worked at Swansea. That’s helped him along with his own intelligence of how to get better.”
As Rodgers alluded to, while De Vries has been unable to make much of an impact on the pitch, his presence has arguably been extremely beneficial to Gordon’s form.
Celtic’s Craig Gordon
The 34-year-old is arguably enjoying one of the best spells of his career, and that is perhaps, at least partially, down to the fact that he has a genuine rival for the number one spot and Rodgers has shown that he is not afraid to make a change between the sticks.
And keeping De Vries beyond January could perhaps ensure that Gordon maintains his current form over the coming months.
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