'It’s about how these boys adapt to the pressure of being at Celtic,' Rodgers

The 24-year-old versatile midfielder arrived at Celtic a few weeks ago, signing from Danish outfit Nordsjaelland for a bargain fee. Celtic spent just under £2 million on Nygren, with the Swedish international having under a year remaining on his contract at the Superliga club.

Speaking via Daily Record, Rodgers insists he is looking forward to seeing him in competitive action: “I’m really excited about him,” the Celtic manager said. “He’s a talent, but it’s about how these boys adapt to the pressure of being at Celtic. So far, he has done very well. He moves so well. He’s fluid, he can play, one or two touches.”

“I want to improve the intensity of his pressing but that will come. He covers the ground so easily. He can take the ball up the pitch and he has a lovely, deft pass on him.”

Rodgers added: “He’s a young player but he’s also a leader. He’s got a profile, he’s got authority. He was obviously captain for his former club so has great leadership qualities. He was obviously coming to the end of his contract and we were looking to maximise the value, so he’s clearly worth a lot more than that.”

Nygren is set to make his Celtic Park debut this afternoon as Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United travel north for the Hoops’ fifth pre-season encounter so far this summer.

Meanwhile, striker Shin Yamada is set to finalise a four-year contract this weekend, as Rodgers continues to search for additional signings.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Royal Antwerp is still a target as the Belgian side prepares to drop their £5 million asking price, while Romanian outlets in recent days have linking the club to Cluj striker Louis Munteanu, who is also attracting interest from Ligue 1 teams.

Conor Spence

Here’s Kieran Tierney speaking to The Celtic Star and a few other Celtic fan media sites…

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter…

Thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered the late David Potter’s last ever Celtic book, Celtic in the Eighties, which will be published on the fifth day of September by Celtic Star Books. The link to pre-order your copy is below…