Related items

• Brendan Rodgers reveals his dismay at Celtic’s summer transfer business

  Brendan Rodgers has admitted his discontent with Celtic’s summer transfer business in the same week the club announced record profits.

  The Celtic boss claimed every manager would want more signings, but he made it clear he was not satisfied with what transpired.

  Celtic announced a record annual profit of £40.7million on Monday and revealed they had had £72.3m “net of bank borrowings” on June 30 this year, although they have since invested £15million on transfer fees.

  The Scottish champions signed nine players this summer, but when asked if he was content with the business, Rodgers said: “No. No, I think if you ask any manager they will always be wanting more, of course.

  “But we work with the players that’s here. I’m not saying that in any disrespectful way, I think every manager will tell you they maybe wished they could have done one or two more signings.

  “But the window closed, we had the players we had in and I’m a coaching manager, and we will work with the very, very best players at our disposal to make our performance level the best we can possibly be.

  “And now we are preparing already for the January window and the summer window.”

  Celtic signed seven players on permanent deals this summer – Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Marco Tilio, Yang Hyun-jun, Odin Thiago Holm, Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke and Luis Palma – and brought in Paulo Bernardo and Nat Phillips on loan.

  Of those, only Palma and Lagerbielke started in Tuesday’s opening Champions League defeat by Feyenoord and the Swedish defender was sent off alongside substitute Holm.

  Outside of Phillips, who came in late in the window after a spate of injuries to central defenders, the average age of the new arrivals was 21 when they signed.

  Celtic lost three regulars from their treble-winning squad in Jota, Carl Starfelt and Aaron Mooy, and now have a larger but arguably less experienced squad.

  Rodgers said: “Listen, if you look at the strategy of the club, it’s signing the younger players to develop and improve.

  “I think I have said it before here, that to maximise that potential, of course, you need that balance in your squad.

  “You need quality and you need experience, and that will obviously help and support potential that you have.

  “So that’s something that hopefully over the course of my time here that the squad can regenerate into that way.”

  Rodgers admitted pre-match in Rotterdam that his team were not at “peak Celtic”, but there were positive signs during the game before a soft opening goal from a free-kick and the two red cards undermined their chances.

  When asked how close they were to clicking into gear, Rodgers said: “It’s time. A lot of young players coming into the squad, coming into the team.

  “It’s a different team even from when I agreed to come in, looking at the players who have moved on and the players we have brought into the club.

  “It takes that little bit of time and obviously when you are missing key players, key players can influence the level at which you play the game.

  “But thankfully the likes of Reo Hatate…. he had another 55-60 minutes the other night, so that’s really good for him in terms of match practice because he has not played so much. When he gets up to speed, he will show he is a fantastic player.

  “A few others are coming back a little bit later, but I would anticipate us getting better as the season goes on.”

  Phillips remains a doubt for Saturday’s trip to face Livingston in the cinch Premiership after missing Tuesday’s European clash in Rotterdam.

  “Nat had a heavy roll on his ankle last weekend,” Rodgers said. “We will give him another 24 hours. He has been out on the pitch so we will just assess it from there.”

• Classy Kane and brilliant Bellingham – England duo making waves in Europe

  Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were both on target in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

  Kane struck from the penalty spot in Bayern Munich’s 4-3 victory over Manchester United, while Bellingham prodded home a stoppage-time winner for Real Madrid against Champions League debutants Union Berlin.

  Here, the PA news agency looks at the England internationals’ astonishing beginnings for their respective clubs.

  How has Kane started?

  After drawing a blank as a second-half substitute in Bayern’s surprise German Super Cup defeat to RB Leipzig, Kane, 30, has been virtually unstoppable.

  The £100million striker netted on his maiden Bundesliga outing in a 4-0 win at Werder Bremen before bagging a brace in a 3-1 victory against Augsburg.

  He scored the opener in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen last Friday before netting from the spot against United – the club that wanted to sign him from Tottenham.

  “Manchester United are crying out for a centre forward and whatever it would have cost they should have got him,” United’s former midfielder Paul Scholes told TNT Sports. “If you had the money to buy one player or three, I would have bought Harry Kane all day long.”

  How has Bellingham played?

  Birmingham-born Bellingham, 20, has six goals and one assist in his opening six matches since his £88.5million move from Borussia Dortmund.

  He struck on his debut against Athletic Bilbao before netting a brace away at Almeria and then scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory at Celta Vigo.

  Bellingham scored a stoppage-time winner against Getafe in his first Bernabeu outing – emulating Cristiano Ronaldo by netting in his opening four LaLiga games – before delivering another late goal, this time in his first Champions League outing for Los Blancos. His mark of six is one more than the rest of the Madrid squad combined this season.

  What has the reaction been?

  Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has trusted Bellingham from the get-go, preferring him to Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, who have just three league starts between them.

  Speaking after Bellingham’s heroics on Wednesday night, Ancelotti said: “He’s smarter than others when attacking from the second line. He has this quality and he’s making the most of it.”

  Bellingham has already won over the Real Madrid fans, who serenaded him with The Beatles’ classic ‘Hey Jude’ after his late winner against Getafe, and again on Wednesday night.

  “I have goosebumps speaking about it,” said Bellingham. “You don’t understand how big this club is until you are here. I have now got that honour and I will wear it with pride.”

  Kane’s brilliant start has also won him fans – not least in Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel.

  “I love him,” said the former Chelsea manager. “He is a fantastic guy, fantastic player and huge personality.

  “He is a clinical finisher, he controls a lot of balls, and he is so intelligent around the box. It has been a very good start from him. I am super happy.”

  How does their form compare to England’s other stars?

  With 11 goals and three assists between them, no other attacking member of Gareth Southgate’s England squad is performing better for their clubs this term.

  Bukayo Saka, Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson have all netted on three occasions this season, while Raheem Sterling, James Ward-Prowse, James Maddison, Eddie Nketiah and Dominic Solanke have all scored twice.

  Kane also has more England minutes since the Three Lions’ European Championship final defeat to Italy in the summer of 2021 than anyone else. Kane has played 2,016 minutes for Southgate, with Bellingham (1,540 mins) fifth behind Harry Maguire (1,927 mins) Declan Rice (1,889 mins) and Jordan Pickford (1,669 mins).

  Kane and Bellingham were also on target in England’s impressive 3-1 win against Scotland last week.

  What’s next?

  Kane will be back in action when Bayern host Bochum in the Bundesliga on Saturday before he returns to Champions League action next month in Copenhagen. Bellingham will be bidding to help Real maintain their 100 per cent start to the season in his first Madrid derby, at Atletico, on Sunday.

  They will join forces for England in a friendly with Australia at Wembley on October 13 before a European Championship qualifier against Italy at the same venue four days later.

  Meanwhile, Kane also revealed he will have one eye on Tottenham’s Premier League fixture versus Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this weekend.

  “They have started the season well, so of course, Tottenham (will win),” he joked in an interview on CBS Sports with former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry – who earlier said the England captain “looked good in red and white”.

• The key questions behind Manchester United’s poor start to the season

  Out-of-sorts Manchester United have lost three successive matches for the first time since 2019 as their concerning start to the season continues.

  The 4-3 defeat at Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s Champions League opener was the latest and, here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the issues facing the Old Trafford giants.

  Weren’t things looking up under Erik ten Hag?

  After a wretched 2021-22 season, the Red Devils turned to meticulous Ajax boss Ten Hag in a bid to improve the club’s fortunes. The response was impressive as United went on to win the Carabao Cup – their first trophy in six years – and finish third in the Premier League, as well as going on to finish runners-up to Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

  How has his second season begun?

  United rode their luck when beating Wolves 1-0 in their opener before seeing a bright start peter out in a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham. Ten Hag’s side bounced back from that and two early Nottingham Forest goals in their next game to win a 3-2 thriller, but since then things have gone downhill. A heartbreaking late 3-1 loss at Arsenal was compounded by a deserved defeat by the same scoreline at home to Brighton on Saturday, then Wednesday’s comprehensive 4-3 loss to Bayern. It all means United have lost four of their opening six matches for the first time since 1986-87.

  What about the supposed takeover?

  Fans have protested against the Glazer family since their controversial leveraged takeover in 2005. Last November’s announcement of a strategic review, including the possibility of a full sale, brought hope of change. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim submitted bids but the owners have dragged their heels, so the interminable potential sale limps on without clarity. Protests have continued, including a sit-in after the home game against Forest, and things could get ugly if, as reported, the Glazers take the club off the market.

  What about issues regarding the playing squad?

  Mason Greenwood never played for Ten Hag and is unlikely to ever represent the club again, but United’s internal investigation into him cast a shadow over the start of the season. The Red Devils eventually bowed to external pressure and announced it had been mutually agreed that academy product would leave. Greenwood joined Getafe in a deadline-day loan and within days United had headaches to contend with regarding fellow forwards Jadon Sancho and Antony.

  What happened with Sancho?

  Jadon Sancho is currently training away from the first team (Martin Rickett/PA)

  Long-term target Sancho arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 but has struggled to live up to the hype. The 23-year-old was an eye-catching omission from the squad that lost at Arsenal, with Ten Hag saying the absence was down to poor performance in training. Furious Sancho claimed on social media that he had been made a “scapegoat” – something that has seen him banished from the first-team group “pending resolution of a squad discipline issue”.

  What is the latest with Antony?

  Last summer’s big money signing is currently on a leave of absence in order to address allegations made against him of violence towards women. Antony has not been arrested or charged and says he will co-operate with police in order to prove his innocence. United have agreed with the player for him to stay away from the club in order to focus on defending himself. There is no timescale on his return.

  That is a lot to of players to be without…

  Yes, but it goes beyond that as nine players were absent through injury against Bayern. Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were out, so too fellow defenders Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane. Deadline-day signing Sofyan Amrabat has yet to be fit to make his debut, while fellow new boy Mason Mount has been out of the last four matches. Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo complete an injury list that Ten Hag understandably called a concern.

  What’s next for United?

  Ten Hag’s side stayed overnight in Germany and fly home on Thursday looking to kickstart their stuttering season. Their only wins to date have been unconvincing and Manchester City great Vincent Kompany is looking to heap further misery on United at Burnley this Saturday evening. It is early days but United are in desperate need of a morale-boosting victory at Turf Moor.