Brendan Rodgers told Stephen Welsh he sees the defender’s future at Celtic Park after he came in from the cold to help the champions see off a spirited Aberdeen in a 3-1 victory at Pittodrie.

Welsh replaced the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers at half-time with Celtic 2-1 ahead following an exciting opening period.

It was the centre-back’s first appearance for 10 months and he strolled through the 45 minutes with Aberdeen unable to carve out many clear-cut chances despite some decent spells of possession.

Rodgers is hoping to secure a new centre-back in the coming days after Celtic made a move for Elfsborg’s Gustaf Lagerbielke.

But he sees Welsh as a key part of his squad following the departure of Carl Starfelt to Celta Vigo.

“I thought he was excellent when he came in,” Rodgers said. “I like Stephen. I took him with me one pre-season when he was a young player because I really liked him.

“For whatever reason he hasn’t maybe played the games but he’s a Celtic boy who wants to be at the club. I want him to be at the club.

“I said to him, ‘I can’t guarantee you how many games you are going to play. You may play 40 games in the season’.

“But I know he is always ready. He trains very hard every day and he came into the game, he played with composure, and he is aggressive. It was really well done from him.”

Celtic also lost half-time substitute Reo Hatate to injury.

Rodgers said: “Cam just felt his hamstring towards the end of the half so hopefully that will not be too bad. And Reo just felt something in his calf. It’s better for precaution sake to get them off and we will see in the next couple of days how they are.”

Odin Thiago Holm replaced Hatate in the 70th minute before Yang Hyin-jun came off the bench to set up Matt O’Riley’s clincher in the 84th minute.

On the Norwegian midfielder, Rodgers said: “He is a good player, he is going to really show his talent as he goes through his time at Celtic. He is a fantastic footballer. He has got an edge, he can see a pass, can move well.

“And Yang came into the game and sets up the third goal with a great bit of skill. So I am really pleased for all the boys who came into the game and contributed.”

Aberdeen gave as good as they got in the first half but Nicky Devlin’s short headed back pass allowed Kyogo Furuhashi to fire Celtic back in front after Bojan Miovski had cancelled out Liel Abada’s early opener.

Rodgers said: “Overall it was a very good win, some spells of good football and in those moments of adversity we stayed strong. It will be great for the spirit because we had to come through tough moments.”

Celtic have won 13 times at Pittodrie since last losing an away game against the Dons in February 2016 but Aberdeen boss Barry Robson felt his team’s performance was a forward step.

“We were really brave,” he said. “We tried to go after them and we made the game a bit basketball at times and sometimes it was survival of the fittest out there.

“It was entertaining stuff and it was dangerous at times from us but we wanted to have a go and try and win the game.

“It was probably our own doing with a couple of individual errors that cost us in the end but also the quality of the opposition.

“We tried to play in a way that is aggressive and brings speed to the game and I think we did that.

“I think that’s as good a performance you have seen from an Aberdeen team here against Celtic for a lot of years.”

Kyogo Furuhashi and Matt O’Riley both scored for the second game running as Celtic beat Aberdeen 3-1 at Pittodrie.

Furuhashi capitalised on a defensive error to put the champions back in front before the half-hour mark after Bojan Miovski had cancelled out Liel Abada’s early opener.

Aberdeen caused Celtic plenty of problems in an enthralling first half with Graeme Shinnie harrying in midfield, wide player Shayden Morris impressing on his first Pittodrie start and the Dons’ front two posing a constant threat in behind.

But Celtic enjoyed much more control in the second half and O’Riley’s late goal ensured they went back top of the cinch Premiership after two matches.

Celtic were unchanged and Aberdeen brought in Ryan Duncan for the absent Jonny Hayes before the game began following a minute’s applause for former Dons boss Craig Brown, in the first Pittodrie game since his death.

Miovski and Furuhashi were just wide from 22 yards at either end in a lively start before Celtic took the lead following O’Riley’s inswinging free-kick in the 11th minute.

Daizen Maeda headed towards goal and Abada was flagged offside after helping the ball home from close range, but the goal was awarded by video assistant referee Andrew Dallas.

Aberdeen continued to press. Shinnie headed over after a well-worked set-piece before the Dons captain won the ball in the centre circle to spark the move that led to a 25th-minute equaliser.

Jack McKenzie’s ball down the channel got Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes in behind Cameron Carter-Vickers and he cut the ball back for strike partner Miovski to knock home from six yards after the striker had reacted quicker than Maik Nawrocki.

The volume rose around Pittodrie, which was hosting a crowd of 18,652, but the home fans were silenced four minutes later.

Home debutant Nicky Devlin did not spot Furuhashi as he attempted to head a hopeful ball forward back to his goalkeeper and the Japan striker lashed the bouncing ball high into the net from 18 yards.

Celtic had chances to extend their lead. Abada shot straight at Kelle Roos following good work from Maeda and the goalkeeper tipped over O’Riley’s free-kick.

Aberdeen finished the half strongly, though, and Dante Polvara twice came close.

Celtic made a double switch at half-time. Stephen Welsh came on for Carter-Vickers for his first competitive appearance in 10 months while Reo Hatate replaced David Turnbull.

Furuhashi missed a good chance with his left foot and Maeda was twice denied by interventions from Devlin after incisive counter-attacks, the first through an excellent goal-line clearance.

Hatate had helped Celtic get good control of possession from a deep midfield role but he hobbled off in the 70th minute for Odin Thiago Holm to come on.

Aberdeen enjoyed good territory but they could not trouble goalkeeper Joe Hart, with their only real chance in the second half coming when Leighton Clarkson curled just wide following a long ball.

Roos denied Maeda after the Japanese striker was played clean through on the break but substitute Yang Hyun-jun quickly cut the ball back for O’Riley to drill home in the 84th minute.

Cameron Carter-Vickers knows it will take time to form a new central defensive partnership but is encouraged by the early signs of working with Maik Nawrocki.

The pair started in the heart of Celtic’s back four as the champions opened their cinch Premiership season with a 4-2 win over Ross County last weekend.

Carl Starfelt came off the bench for a farewell appearance before completing his move to Celta Vigo in midweek after two years alongside Carter-Vickers.

The United States international said: “It’s always sad when you lose a team-mate, especially one you played so closely with, but for him it was the right decision to move and we wish him nothing but the best.

“All defensive partnerships take a bit of time, it’s the nature of the position. For me now it’s just about focusing on trying to build connections with new team-mates and new players and trying to make those connections as strong as possible.”

Nawrocki joined Celtic this summer from Legia Warsaw having played against manager Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester team in Europe, and Carter-Vickers feels he will be a valuable team-mate.

“He is a really good player, you can see in training the qualities that he has,” the former Tottenham defender said.

“He is a very, very good player. He is very good on the ball, a very good progressive passer. He reads the game really well and he knows when to step in at times and try and be aggressive and intercept the ball.

“It just needs time, building connections, me knowing what he is going to do, and him knowing what I am going to do.

“Training is key, speaking to each other out on the training pitch and letting each other know where we want each other to be, and also games as well. There is nothing like a game to see his natural tendencies and him learning mine, and from there you can feed off each other.”

The pair are set to get the chance to continue that process when Celtic face Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday.

Carter-Vickers said: “Aberdeen had a great finish to last season and they are in a strong position at the moment so we know it will be a tough game but we just focus on our performance and go up there and try to win.”

Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers feels getting up to speed in competitive matches following knee surgery is the “perfect” solution after playing through pain for most of last season.

The centre-back played the full game as Celtic began their cinch Premiership campaign with a 4-2 win over Ross County last Saturday, despite only getting 45 minutes of pre-season action.

“That’s how I want to do it,” he said ahead of Sunday’s trip to Aberdeen. “The best way to get fitness is to play games, so it’s perfect for me.

“I feel good, even though I didn’t train with the team until about 10 days ago, I was running on my own for a while. So physically I feel good and I’m ready to play.”

Carter-Vickers had been out for three months after being booked in for knee surgery immediately after Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over Rangers.

The 25-year-old had been troubled by knee pain for the majority of the campaign but it was not evident in his impressive performances.

“It was quite a while,” he said. “Long before Christmas I initially did it. The pain wasn’t bad consistently, there were lows and highs, but it was definitely something I needed to get sorted and now that it is I am in a good spot.

“My understanding of the injury was, the likelihood was it was never going to get worse in terms of the actual damage in the knee.

“So it wasn’t too much of a risk. It was just mainly pain management. Some weeks I maybe wouldn’t train at the start of the week, I would just come in towards the end of the week to be ready for the game.

“It was about managing the pain and trying to play 90 minutes at the weekend really.

“I wanted to go as far as I could with it. I wanted to be there to help the team if I could and I still felt I could contribute in a positive way.

“I knew I needed it done but my view was that I would be guided by the management and the physios as to when it should happen.

“They thought that when I did get it done would be the best time, when we had most things wrapped up from last season and also to be ready for the beginning of this season.”

With the league all but wrapped up, the former Tottenham player put in a man-of-the-match display as Celtic beat Rangers to secure a Scottish Cup final meeting with Inverness.

“I knew that was going to be my last game before I played it,” he said. “Not much changed for me mentally, I went out there and tried to perform and help the team. But it was a bit of a weird feeling for me after the game.”

The United States international felt as much a part of Celtic’s title and treble-winning celebrations as if he had his strip on.

And he said: “I enjoyed the cup final to be honest. I was there in my suit watching the game and we won.

“I’m not a real over-thinker. When I’m fit I will play the best I can and when I’m not I can’t do much about it so I just get on with it.”

Celtic have confirmed the departure of Carl Starfelt to Celta Vigo on a permanent transfer.

The Sweden centre-back made 87 appearances and won five trophies after joining from Rubin Kazan two years ago.

Manager Brendan Rodgers signalled on Saturday that Starfelt was on his way out after giving the defender a farewell appearance off the bench during the champions’ 4-2 win over Ross County.

The centre-half’s partner, Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, left Celtic for Sporting Lisbon this summer and Starfelt was keen to follow her out of Glasgow.

Rodgers said on Saturday: “He probably felt it was the time to move on.

“There are certain conditions there that has made him think he will be going to one of the top leagues, and economically it’s hard for us to compete on that side, and obviously his partner is no longer here and has moved on.”

A club statement read: “Everyone at Celtic wishes Carl Starfelt every success in his future career.”

Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu could be out for up to six weeks with a calf problem.

The 22-year-old South Korea international originally picked up the injury in James Forrest’s testimonial match against Athletic Bilbao but did not declare it before taking his place on the bench for the cinch Premiership opener against Ross County at Parkhead on Saturday.

“Oh will probably be out for a few weeks,” said Hoops boss Rodgers, who refused to elaborate on Celtic’s interest in Swedish centre-back Gustaf Lagerbielke, which had been revealed by Elfsborg manager Stefan Andreasson.

“He hurt his calf against Athletic Bilbao but no one knew and he trained on.

“He was involved in the game at the weekend and then he trained on the Sunday and afterwards he spoke to the medical team to say he felt his calf and it has ended up that he has a calf problem which might put him out for four to six weeks. So that’s where he is at.

“Apart from that, the injured guys are doing really well.

“Ali Johnston is back on the grass, running, working, he is increasing his intensity so that is really good news for us.

“Marco Tilio is also now out on the grass and moving well so we expect him to be another month or so away.”

Swedish central defender Carl Starfelt has been linked with a move to Celta Vigo after Rodgers confirmed at the weekend he was keen to move on, but the manager said: “It is progressing but nothing definitive to add on that.”

Asked if he could say reveal anything on Lagerbielke, the Northern Irishman said: “No. Clearly if we lose a centre-half I want to bring in another one, but I have got nothing to add.

“There’s probably be a few other names that will be mixed in there and if I spoke about every one we might be here for a little while.

“There is a number that we are looking at, but nothing definitive.

“There are other areas I would like to improve on.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the all-round game of Kyogo Furuhashi in their opening league win after encouraging the forward to bring a new tactical element to his game.

The Japan striker hit his first goal of the season in a 4-2 cinch Premiership victory against Ross County in typical fashion, stretching the visiting defence before sweeping home Liel Abada’s low cross first time after Celtic caught their opponents out.

Furuhashi hit 34 goals for Celtic last season and was usually found playing on the shoulder of the last defender and often beyond the opposition defence in an offside position.

But Rodgers has asked him to drop deeper at times and the move paid off on several occasions against County.

Furuhashi played a one-two with Matt O’Riley on the edge of the box before the midfielder got to the byline and crossed for David Turnbull to hit his second goal of the game.

The 28-year-old dropped off to set up O’Riley to score and also played Turnbull through before the former Motherwell man forced a double stop from Ross Laidlaw.

Rodgers said: “I just think it’s development of his game. He is clearly a player on the last line, his movement is fantastic, he gets across the first post really well.

“But it’s finding different solutions for the team, so the opposition have something different to think about.

“We have great speed in the wide areas; it’s always about getting the numbers inside, so when he drops short he can link the game really well and then still has the speed to get beyond. I thought he was excellent.”

There was plenty of encouragement for County manager Malky Mackay with his side creating several early chances and then refusing to capitulate after going three down before the interval.

Jordan White and James Brown were on target in the second half and Mackay was particularly happy with the latter’s debut performance.

“I thought Jim Brown, my right-back, was sensational,” Mackay said.

“We brought him from Blackburn and my challenge to him was to get into the Republic of Ireland team. He was captain of Drogheda and he went to Blackburn.

“I said to him to come up here and play in the Premiership and play against the best there is here. Jamie McGrath did it last year and got into the Republic of Ireland team.

“Jim plays like that week in, week out and he’ll be chapping on the door. I’m not trying to pick anybody’s team – but he’ll be a good player if he keeps playing like that.

“I thought he was sensational against a really good player in (Daizen) Maeda.”

Carl Starfelt was handed what Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers feels will be a farewell appearance in a 4-2 cinch Premiership opening win over Ross County.

Starfelt started on the bench with Maik Nawrocki making his debut in central defence before the Swede came on for the final quarter.

The centre-half’s partner, Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, left Celtic for Sporting Lisbon this summer and Starfelt looks set to follow her out of Glasgow after two years at the club.

Rodgers said: “I wanted to put Carl Starfelt on because it might be his last game here. He has been a great servant to the club. There is interest in him and he would like to take up that possibility. We will resolve that as quick as we can.

“The clubs are in communication so I am sure that will go through at some point early next week, if not before.

“He probably felt it was the time to move on. There are certain conditions there that has made him think he will be going to one of the top leagues, and economically it’s hard for us to compete on that side, and obviously his partner is no longer here and has moved on.

“But I have to say, total professional, first class and if it didn’t go through, I know I can rely on him, but I think it probably will.

“We would need to get another centre-half. My idea is to get four centre-halves who are competitive.”

David Turnbull netted twice in the season opener after being handed his first Premiership start in nine months. The midfielder opened the scoring from the spot and netted from Matt O’Riley’s cross after Kyogo Furuhashi had notched his first goal of the season.

Rodgers said of the former Motherwell player: “He’s a talent. I remember seeing him when I was first up here and I liked his game and he maybe just hasn’t quite hit the heights of what his talent is.

“I spoke to him in pre-season and told him it would be a shame if you don’t achieve what you can do at a club like this, because you have the talent, but you have to be a working talent, and you have to be able to run and be aggressive in your game. If you can do that, then your qualities will come through.

“He’s a player I really like. I love his care with the ball, his passing, and his efficiency. He gets in the box, he gets goals, and he maybe could have had a hat-trick.”

The 24-year-old has entered the final season of his contract after a £3.25million move from Fir Park in 2020.

On the chances of a new deal, Rodgers said: “It’s a door that’s open for him. he maybe hasn’t played as much as he would like, but that’s his responsibility.

“I think he would like to be here but you have to consistently prove it.

“It was a clean slate over pre-season and he did very well with the ball and against the ball, which is important. You have to be able to play without the ball and he has demonstrated that.”

County manager Malky Mackay was frustrated his side could not take advantage of some early chances, which mostly fell for Simon Murray.

Mackay said: “I thought we started well and international teams will score goals against Celtic. They just have, Yokohama, Athletic (Bilbao). We get those chances in the first 15 minutes and should have scored. If it’s an international team, Celtic are 2-0 down.

“Our shape and system were good, our discipline were good, and we give away a stupid penalty. Then we don’t defend a cross in the last minute of the first half and next minute we are 3-0 down at half-time.”

County hit back through Jordan White before James Brown scored in stoppage-time via Starfelt’s deflection after O’Riley had netted Celtic’s fourth.

Mackay said: “I know at 3-0 here that can go on to become six or seven. My challenge for them at half-time was to be brave and go and score a goal and press high.

“Sometimes we were able to do it and sometimes we didn’t because we have some new players who aren’t quite there with the explanations I give them but I was really happy with how brave they were in the second half.”

David Turnbull seized his fresh start with a double as Celtic opened the cinch Premiership season with a 4-2 home victory over Ross County.

Brendan Rodgers preferred Turnbull to Reo Hatate in his first competitive match since returning as Celtic manager and the midfielder vindicated his faith with two first-half efforts which sandwiched Kyogo Furuhashi’s goal.

The 24-year-old had not started a league game since November 12 last year and looked an increasingly peripheral figure during Ange Postecoglou’s second season in charge.

Turnbull was named the club’s man of the match and probably should have a had a hat-trick as he revelled in playing in the advanced role in Rodgers’ three-man midfield ahead of Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley.

Rodgers also made a big decision in central defence as Maik Nawrocki made his debut ahead of Carl Starfelt, who came off the bench later on.

Jordan White had netted for the visitors by that stage and O’Riley restored Celtic’s three-goal cushion before James Brown’s deflected effort provided further consolation for the visitors.

The County players and manager Malky Mackay gave the champions a guard of honour as they entered the field before Celtic substitute James Forrest raised the league flag.

The visitors did not stand back when the whistle blew. Mackay’s side got men forward in numbers and had an early chance when both Simon Murray and Josh Sims were unable to turn home from close range.

Murray then turned inside Anthony Ralston before being denied by a Cameron Carter-Vickers block.

Ralston looked rusty early on after missing much of pre-season and his lofted back pass put Joe Hart under pressure. The goalkeeper chested the ball down before being dispossessed by Murray, who stumbled and ran the ball out before appealing in vain for a penalty.

Celtic soon had a spot-kick after Sims caught Greg Taylor as the left-back latched on to a bouncing ball. Turnbull sent Ross Laidlaw the wrong way to open the scoring 17 minutes into the season.

The goalscorer was involved as Celtic doubled their lead in the 26th minute, heading the ball on following Ralston’s clearance to leave County exposed. Celtic punished them clinically as Furuhashi swept home Liel Abada’s pass.

Turnbull was denied by a double save from Laidlaw after being played through by the Japanese striker, but he soon got his second goal in the 42nd minute.

O’Riley played a one-two with Furuhashi and stood the ball up to the back post where the former Motherwell midfielder found the roof of the net.

Celtic dominated the opening stages of the second half and Laidlaw made a double stop from O’Riley and Daizen Maeda.

But County made their eighth corner of the game count on the hour mark when White sent a looping header into the top corner from Yan Dhanda’s inswinging delivery.

Hatate replaced Turnbull and Starfelt came on before O’Riley blasted a right-footed shot high into the net after Furuhashi’s first-time through-ball in the 73rd minute.

Some heavy touches from Furuhashi twice cost him the chance to add to Celtic’s tally before Odin Thiago Holm and Yang Hyun-jun came on for their competitive debuts.

Yang played an impressive part in a sweeping counter-attack which ended with Laidlaw making an excellent stop from Forrest.

County got reward for continuing to commit men forward when James Brown fired home in the fifth minute of stoppage time when his shot went in off Starfelt’s leg.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor is relishing the pressure of keeping the Scottish champions at the top of the pile.

McGregor will lead his team out for their cinch Premiership opener against Ross County on Saturday looking to begin the process of adding to his 20 major honours.

Celtic face the challenge of a Rangers side who have added nine players, while Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibernian have also been spending money.

And McGregor is excited about the chance to meet the renewed competition head on.

“If you are in elite sport, you have to enjoy the pressure,” the 30-year-old said. “There is always a challenge. There’s challenges within the building, new players coming in trying to push the players who are playing. You get a real competitive edge within the squad.

“And then of course when you come together as a squad you have 11 other teams who are trying to beat you. That’s the pressure you want as a football player. You want to stay at the front. You understand how hard that challenge is but it’s something that you relish.”

Celtic won their fifth treble in seven seasons last term but McGregor knows that can quickly become irrelevant.

“I have been lucky enough to have that feeling a fair few times in my career but when you start a new season, you start afresh,” he said. “It doesn’t count for anything.

“Everyone is now looking at: ‘Can you win it again, can you do this, can you do that?’ You have to find the answers and if you play at a top club like this then you have to take that challenge on.

“You embrace it, you embrace it with your mates, the manager, everyone together, supporters. What is better than that challenge, to continue to push and improve every year?

“We have to. It’s simple. We had a tremendous season but we have to park that. It’s a new manager, some new players, and a fresh test of mentality, quality, finding a way to win. All of these things.”

Manager Brendan Rodgers returns to competitive action for Celtic against a familiar face in former Hoops defender Malky Mackay.

The Ross County manager worked under Rodgers at Watford before succeeding him as Hornets boss. The pair then managed Swansea and Cardiff at the same time before Mackay’s acrimonious departure from the Bluebirds set back his managerial career.

Rodgers said: “I am really looking forward to seeing Malky. Malky is a good man.

“I have to say Ross County are very, very fortunate to have someone of that calibre as a manager.

“He has had a real challenging decade, Malky, but what I know from working with him is what a first-class manager he is, and a coach and person.

“He has done a great job at Ross County with, I am sure, limited resources. He had a great finish a couple of seasons ago and obviously fought to stay in the league last season.

“But what I know about Malky’s teams, they always make it really, really difficult. He’s a top-class manager that Ross County are very fortunate to have.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is relishing the expectation of following up on the club’s latest treble-winning season as he declared he had “unfinished business” in Scottish football.

Rodgers started an incredible run of Celtic winning five trebles in seven seasons when he first arrived in Glasgow in the summer of 2016.

He returns on the back of Ange Postecoglou becoming the third manager to achieve the clean sweep during that run and he did not shy away from the lofty ambitions during his first pre-match media conference of the season.

Ahead of Saturday’s cinch Premiership opener against Ross County, Rodgers addressed the challenge of following up on an impressive campaign which saw Celtic lose only one domestic game before clinching the title.

“I sit here with the knowledge of doing it twice, so I understand what the pitfalls of success are,” said Rodgers, who won all seven trophies he competed for in Scotland first time round.

“In order to have long-term success there are certain elements you need to make sure you guard against. That’s something we have spoken about over pre-season.

“For a club like Celtic it’s always about winning, but winning in the best way that you possibly can.

“That is sometimes harder. When we did the treble the second time, we didn’t amass the same amount of points. Our game wasn’t maybe quite at the same level, but we turned up in the big games and did what we needed to do.

“That will be the idea this season again, to win three trophies, it’s an incredible achievement. But it’s a new season, new motivation and new desires. I am looking forward to challenging for every trophy again.”

Rodgers stressed the need to impose themselves again on the title race rather than hold on to what they had.

“The mentality is, rather then defend it, we want to win it,” he said. “That’s key, we start everything afresh. It was a great achievement last year and years leading up to that but everyone starts with no points at the beginning of the season.

“That’s the excitement for me of coming back here. I always felt I had unfinished business here when I left. But I am so happy to be here and really happy to take on that pressure and expectation that comes from managing Celtic.”

Celtic have added five new signings after losing only one key player, Jota, since Rodgers took over, but the manager is keen to make sure they do not stand still.

“There are clear positions that are priorities that we would like to improve on but the team and the squad was in a really good position,” the former Leicester manager said. “I was fresh in so I needed to assess that over a period of time.

“Over time we will look to improve the squad further because it’s the best time to do it, whenever you have had success, because success is that moving target.

“It keeps moving and the challenges this year will be even greater, so we have to ensure we have a squad that can match that.”

Both Cameron Carter-Vickers and Anthony Ralston could feature against County after getting their first 45 minutes of pre-season action against Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday following injury.

“Both those players came through really well during the week which is great news for us,” Rodgers said.

“They are back with the squad. They probably aren’t as up to speed as some of the other boys but they still look in very good condition, so we will take a look at them on Friday.”

Ally McCoist admits any friendship between Rangers boss Michael Beale and Celtic counterpart Brendan Rodgers will be put on hold for the duration of the upcoming season.

Beale and Rodgers have previously crossed paths at Chelsea and Liverpool but will lock horns for the cinch Premiership title in the 2023-24 campaign.

McCoist talked up the importance of respect between managers of the Old Firm, having memorably clashed with Neil Lennon in a 2011 derby, and is in no doubt that will be there in abundance.

But TNT Sports pundit McCoist said: “No, the friendship has not got to be over but it has to be put on pause.

“One thing you’ve got to do is have a healthy relationship, you genuinely do, and respect for the opposition manager in the Old Firm.

“It has always been the case. Of course you have incidents, myself and Neil Lennon had a wee incident and Walter (Smith) had incidents, you have incidents but there has to be a healthy reaction and relationship between the clubs.

“I don’t have any doubt that Michael and Brendan will have that and continue it. They have been friends for a while and it will stay the same.”

Both Rangers and Celtic have overseen summers of change with Allan McGregor, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos among those to move on from Ibrox while eight players have been signed with Los Angeles’ Jose Cifuentes expected to be the ninth addition with a pre-contract agreement in place, according to Beale.

Celtic, meanwhile, saw Ange Postecoglou move down south to take charge of Tottenham in June and ex-boss Rodgers return for his second spell at Parkhead.

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Rangers begin their league campaign with a trip to Kilmarnock on Saturday night while Celtic kick off with the lunchtime visit of Ross County.

“This is the first year in a long, long time where I genuinely don’t know who wins it,” McCoist admitted.

“Celtic have lost one or two, lost Jota but I wouldn’t say Brendan left under a cloud. I think there was a section of the Celtic support who weren’t happy because he left at that time and went Leicester and I get that, but you can’t please everyone all the time.

“One thing that is undeniable is that he is an excellent coach and knows how to set up a team. I thought he was a little bit unlucky and harshly treated at Leicester because I don’t think he got the money to spend to replace the real quality that needed replacement.

“Just in my opinion, I think he was cut a bit short there. They’ll back him at Celtic.

“Over at our place, I think Michael Beale has brought in nine players. I watched them against Newcastle in pre-season, did OK. I watched them against Olympiacos, didn’t look great. Didn’t look good in the first half against Hoffenheim and then looked great in the second half against Hoffenheim.

“So, I don’t really know but of course Rangers and Celtic have got to hit the ground running, particularly Rangers with the (Champions League) qualifier coming up.

“It is a tough one to call. I don’t know how Rangers’ players will settle in. They brought them in quickly.”

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Brendan Rodgers declared it felt like being at home with family after returning to action at Celtic Park.

The Celtic manager received a warm reception from the home supporters after being re-introduced ahead of a 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao in James Forrest’s testimonial match.

When asked what it felt like to be back, more than four years after leaving for Leicester, Rodgers said: “Amazing. It feels like home.

“I have to be honest. I have been fortunate enough in my career to have managed some fantastic clubs and some big clubs but there is nothing giving me the feeling of being back here with people that I would regard as family, and just being in the arena here.

“I am looking forward to it, I am going to relish every second of it.

“I think going away probably made me realise what I had and I was never sure if I would have that again.

“So to be able to have the chance to have that again, I am really going to enjoy it, on the pitch, with the players, with the staff, and obviously with the supporters.

“But for that I need to win and I need to prove myself again.”

There was no sign of dissent among the 43,447 when Rodgers was presented ahead of the game, which Celtic won thanks to goals from Reo Hatate, Alexandro Bernabei and David Turnbull.

There was a sparse attendance in the standing section, whose members did express their displeasure over Rodgers’ appointment on social media in June.

But any negativity looks likely to be put to one side when Celtic begin their cinch Premiership title defence against Ross County on Saturday.

On his reception, Rodgers said: “Clearly, it obviously means a lot.

“My priority is to make a team here and continue with the standards that have been set over the last decade or so. So it’s important that we are all together in order to achieve that.

“The Celtic supporters are amazing, they will support their team and I think what makes this club is that they get behind the manager.

“We all go together from the weekend and look to push on and it’s very important for us to be together.”

Rodgers changed his entire team at half-time and got an improved second-half display as Celtic came from behind.

“Overall I am really pleased for James because it is nice for him to win in his testimonial game, but the second-half team was excellent,” he added.

Celtic came from behind to beat Athletic Bilbao 3-2 in James Forrest’s testimonial match.

Celtic were outplayed in the opening period and trailed 2-1 before manager Brendan Rodgers switched his entire team for the second half, and goals from Alexandro Bernabei and David Turnbull added to Reo Hatate’s first-half effort.

About 42,000 fans were inside Celtic Park to honour Forrest, who has scored 101 goals in 467 competitive appearances and won 22 trophies for the club.

However, only a few hundred supporters occupied the standing section, which is normally frequented by the Green Brigade ultras, for the benefit match, which saw a “significant proportion” of proceeds promised to two charities, Kilbryde Hospice and Celtic FC Foundation.

Rodgers received a warm reception when he was re-introduced to the Celtic support ahead of his first appearance at Parkhead since returning to the club.

Cameron Carter-Vickers made his first start since undergoing knee surgery while Maik Nawrocki and Kwon Hyeok-kyu were handed Parkhead debuts.

The visitors took the lead inside 90 seconds after Hatate gave the ball away and was clinically punished by Unai Gomez from 25 yards.

The hosts continued to present Bilbao with opportunities from loose passes and Hatate was fortunate not to gift another goal before levelling out of the blue in the 36th minute when he picked up a loose ball and curled in a brilliant left-footed finish from 20 yards.

The visitors were back in front within seconds of the restart. Right-back Tomoki Iwata lost possession on the edge of the box after bringing down a high diagonal ball and was punished in style by Iker Muniain.

Only Forrest came back out after the interval but just until the 49th minute, when the fans were handed the chance to give him another ovation as he was replaced by Liel Abada. Summer signings Yang Hyun-jun and Odin Thiago Holm were among the half-time substitutes.

Bernabei equalised midway through the half after linking up well with second-half captain Turnbull and Matt O’Riley, and the former Motherwell midfielder soon swept home from Oh Hyeon-gyu’s cutback.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has told fans not to expect a £15million signing but he hopes to add more talented players to his squad in the next month.

Celtic have signed five players since Rodgers returned – Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm, Australian winger Marco Tilio, South Korean pair Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu, and Poland Under-21 defender Maik Nawrocki.

The new arrivals have an average age of 21 and Celtic look set to continue their model of signing younger players with potential to improve.

Rodgers told Sky Sports News: “I think everyone looks and thinks that we might be bringing in a £15-20million player. The reality is that won’t be the case. It’s not what the club is based on.

“But that doesn’t mean there’s not talented players out there that we want.

“There is still quite a way to go in the window so we will look to improve the squad again.

“We have done a lot of early business which has been great, it allows the players to come in and settle, and of course we want to do some more. But I am quite calm on that.”

Celtic have continued their focus on the Asian transfer market after achieving success on that front during Ange Postecoglou’s reign, and Rodgers is happy to trust the recruitment staff.

“I will work with the club on that. Mark Lawwell, who has headed up the recruitment team here, has done a fantastic job,” said Rodgers, whose team begin their cinch Premiership title defence at home to Ross County on Saturday.

“It’s a market he knows really, really well from his previous job so he understands the players.

“But he has also got a very good team of people behind him. So I trust in their work.

“Of course they will always be put forward to me and I will have a look at it.

“Some of those players were identified before I came in so it was about giving the blessing, and some of them have been identified whilst we have been in. So it’s a continuation of working together, which is important.

“Part of coming back, I know where the club is at, I know the model that’s in place, and we hope we can maximise that and develop the players on the field.”

Ahead of Celtic’s final pre-season game against Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, Rodgers stated that he would “always” offer suggestions of his own when discussing targets.

But he added: “It has to fit into the model of the club. And as a manager in the modern game it’s very difficult to do what you maybe did years ago and be out watching players every night of the week. The game has changed.

“So you are really relying on your recruitment team.

“You won’t get absolutely every one right and that’s purely on the basis of players maybe not adapting to a country.

“But there is a lot of great work done here, a really comprehensive structure that is in place to try and mitigate as many of those circumstances as we can and allow players to come in and really flourish in an environment which is made for development.”