CELTIC manager Brendan Rodgers is confident Mikael Lustig will extend his stay at the club. The Swede, who joined the Scottish champions in 2012, has remained an influential figure under Rodgers but is about to enter the last six months of his contract and is free to talk to potential suitors from the start of January.
The defender has previously stated his desire to remain in Glasgow and Rodgers was hopeful an extension could be sorted out soon.
The Celtic manager said: “He's one I definitely want to keep and the club is in discussions with his agent. He's an important player for us, one of the pillars of the group. In any group, there are four or five [key] players within it and he's definitely one. He's a great character, motivated to train, his commitment to training is fantastic, and he’s a great professional. He’s got good banter with the lads, he's a fun guy, but he knows when to focus and every single game he's up for. He's that sort of Brownie [Scott Brown] type.”
Rodgers denied Lustig’s injury record is the reason behind any delay in a deal getting struck, believing instead that the player – at 29 – wants to make his last major contract a good one.
“[In terms of injuries] I can only look at that from my time in here and he's virtually trained every day and been available for every game. He's been excellent since I came in. I think he wants to stay, it's natural.
“He's 29. It's probably his last major contract and when you get to that age you want to make sure everything is right, it has to be right for you. If he plays, say, until he is 35, he's got another six years left.
“That's 72 pay packets left in your life. That's it, then he's done and that has to last him for the rest of his life. He has six years left from the beginning of next season, so he wants to get as much in there as he can. That's the game. He wants to be here and he knows I want him here. It's relaxed, there's no drama.”
Tom Rogic is another player Rodgers does not wish to see disappearing elsewhere next month. The Northern Irishman has induced improvements in most of his squad this season and the Australian is another who appears to have found an extra level thanks to Rodgers’ considered guidance.
At the top of his game it is not difficult to imagine Rogic making the grade at a mid to lower-end English Premier League team but his manager believes the 23 year-old is committed to Celtic for the long run.
"He's got huge potential," Rodgers said. "That was demonstrated against Manchester City the other night but I have tried not to make him as much a number 10 as a number 8. Everyone seems to be a number 10 these days!
“You need a player that can work, run, press and play. His bodywork is as good as you'll get. He and [Adam] Lallana are of that same mould where they just roll out of trouble. The best players know where the space is.
“He came here injured but technically he's so gifted. Tactically now he can stay in the game and he's physically better. Last weekend against Motherwell he played right the way through and was a big player at the end [with the winning goal].”
You can virtually set your watch by the time Rogic tends to come off in most games – it’s usually around the hour mark – but Rodgers revealed that was often a decision taken with tactics rather than the player’s energy levels in mind.
“Sometimes when I make a substitution with Tom it's not necessarily because of how he's playing or because he can't last. Sometimes I just need to shore up the game with a more defensive type player. So he can last the game, his contribution against City was top-class against Fernando, [Ilkay] Gundogan and [Pablo] Zabaleta. The beauty is Tom is committed to here. He sees this as his place to develop and he's developing great.”
With their European campaign over for another season, Celtic will need to survive on a domestic diet for the next five months, starting with Hamilton Academical on Tuesday night. Rodgers is happy to return to the bread and butter.
“That’s your nuts and bolts and you only get the glitz and glamour if you do the dirty work,” he explained. “And the dirty work is the second part of the season in your league because in order to get the chance [to qualify for the Champions League] you have to win your league. You’ve got to prepare the players mentally for the different challenges.”
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