Brendan Rodgers Describes the Astonishing After-Match Event
Brendan Rodgers gave an explanation for his tearful post-game hug with Reo Hatate following Celtic’s 3-0 victory over St. Mirren.
After suffering a hamstring injury that kept him out of play for two agonizing months, the midfielder came on for Paolo Bernardo with 71 minutes remaining and Celtic leading 3-0.
After realizing he had sustained a serious hamstring injury during the final seven minutes of the Champions League match against Atletico Madrid at the end of October, Hatate appeared upset as he left the field, knowing he would likely miss a significant amount of time.
Even if the midfielder is set to travel to the Asian Cup with the Japan team, the return of Hatate and Liel Abada expands Aaron Rodgers’ options considerably in the second half of the season.
The Celtic players and manager expressed gratitude to the away fans after the game, and as they were leaving the field, Rodgers had some special words for Hatate that were not visible to Sky Sports viewers.
As he explained the post-match scenes to the Daily Record, the Celtic manager said:
Afterward, it was evident that Reo was genuinely pretty moved to be back on the field. He is a huge contributor to our team and has worked incredibly hard. He will thus be really important to us in the second part of the season when he returns, so maybe he can go away, get some playing time, and maintain his health.
He adds a different dimension to the team and scores goals, so it’s nice to have him and Liel back. However, they both play wide, so he’s always looking for ways to score. Those two players will enable us to play the style of football that we desire.
In order to contribute for their club and country, Rodgers and Hatate will be looking for an injury-free run after sustaining two hamstring ailments and a calf issue in 2023.
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