‘A clean slate’ - Brendan Rodgers impressed by £3m Celtic star ahead of season opener

The 2023/24 Scottish Premiership season is almost here and Celtic supporters have just over 48 hours to wait until the reigning champions are back on the pitch at Celtic Park.

The Hoops welcome Ross County to Parkhead for ‘flag day’ in the early kick off on Saturday as Brendan Rodgers makes his competitive return in the home dugout. Meanwhile, one player may have seemingly done enough in pre-season to have earned his chance to start against the Staggies with the former Liverpool and Leicester City gaffer admitting to being ‘impressed’ by his efforts.

David Turnbull, who is entering his fourth season as a Celtic player after his £3 million move from Motherwell in 2020, has caught the eye of his club boss over the past few weeks. The 24-year old was brought in by Neil Lennon but struggled to nail down a regular starting place in the team under Ange Postecoglou, with injuries playing a part, and featured in less than 75 percent of league matches last season.

However, Rodgers has stated that his arrival marks a ‘clean slate’ for everyone in the squad and singled out the Scotland international for praise. He said: “A lot of these guys I don’t know, so for me there’s a clean slate for them all. It’s assessing over the course of pre-season, what they’ve done in the past doesn’t really matter. That includes the guys who have worked with me before.

“He (Turnbull) has been good in pre-season, I have to say. He was excellent in Japan. I really like him as a footballer, he’s got tools, he’s comfortable on the ball and he can score goals. He’s been excellent over pre-season.

“His efficiency is very good. He just needs to keep working and to keep on the move. It’s always important with those players that they don’t turn the engine off, you’ve got to keep working. Like I said, I’ve been impressed with David.”