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He expected a backlash.

Granted, he may have underestimated the sheer scale and ferocity of the reaction to his decision but Brendan Rodgers knew he couldn’t walk out on Celtic without standing accused of a betrayal.

Eight months on, however, he believes his vindication has arrived.

One quick glance at the Premier League table in Monday morning’s papers was really all that was required.

Leicester City sitting in second place like the lightening bolt they said could never strike twice. Rodgers outperforming Pep Guardiola while underpinning his own credentials as a manager who really does belong at this elite level after all.

The narrative currently being written at the King Power is nothing short of remarkable. And yet Rodgers remains convinced none of it would have worked out quite like this had he not chosen to make that leap of faith when he did.

(Image: Kenneth Ramsay (Photography))

“I’ve said it many times, it was incredibly difficult,” he sighs as he reflects once again on that bombshell he dropped back in February, back when everything changed. Only this time with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight having just leapfrogged Manchester City over a dramatic weekend of top flight action.

“It was a really tough call from a personal perspective and a professional one because my relationship with everyone at the club was great form the boardroom to the dressing room.

“But perhaps now people will have a better understanding of why I made the choice to go when I did.”

His reasoning is simple. Rodgers is convinced the three months he spent getting his feet under the table last season allowed him the time he needed to assess the squad he had inherited and to work out how to improve it.

This included overseeing a radical overhaul of the crash-bang-wallop counter punching style which characterised Leicester’s fairy-tale title win of 2016. The Rodgers rebrand is a far more subtle and sophisticated affair.

Where once they conquered the English game despite barely being on speaking terms with the ball, under Rodgers they have learned to love the thing and to cherish possession of it.

It’s been quite the transformation.

But, without that settling in period, Rodgers believes, it would have been almost impossible for Leicester to hit the ground running in the current campaign.

(Image: PA)

He continues: “I had a lot think about at the time. The players were absolutely phenomenal for me in my time there. We were on this great journey together. We created a culture which I loved coming into every day. And we were winners.

“We won - we were relentless at it and relentless in our work - and we had success together.

“So for me to then make the decision to leave them behind was not an easy thing to do.

“But I felt I had taken it as far as I could in that time. I then had a decision to make about going into a new project at Leicester where there is an ambition there and there are challenges that I would be excited by.

“We were 27 games into a league campaign. We were clear at the top of the league, we had already won a cup and I felt I was leaving the club in a good state.

“OK, the timing wasn’t ideal for many people but I felt the club was in a really good place, the players’ mentality, everything around the club was healthy.

“But, because of how quickly it happened, it was probably difficult for some people to accept. But we’ve both moved on since then. Celtic moved on and won the treble which was brilliant. Three trebles consecutively which is incredible.

“And I was able to come into Leicester and assess players while they were under pressure because that’s when you can really make judgements. I felt it would give me those last 10 or 11 games of the season to assess what Leicester had and what needed to be done.

“It gave me the time to prepare for the summer so that we were ready to make a challenge at the start of this season. I think it’s worked out well for both parties.”

(Image: SNS Group)

It’s hard to argue.

Not only did Leicester see off Arsenal on Saturday to hit new heights under Rodgers but this win came just days after Neil Lennon’s Celtic triumphed over Lazio in the Europa League.

In fact, so far Lennon has done an immaculate job of taking over where Rodgers left off.

He smiles and says: “Listen, when you leave Celtic in terms of history, club and support base there are not many bigger in the world. I know that. But then there is the professional challenge of doing something at a different club.

“Of course, Leicester is not as a big a club as Celtic. But the challenge here is trying to break into the elite down here. That’s the big challenge.

“When I went to Celtic they had just lost a Scottish Cup semi final to Rangers who were coming up into the Premiership. The challenge for me was, could we then win and win in a better way and obviously get the supporters back on side. That was the challenge that attracted me.

“So at Leicester the challenge was different. They had finished 9th in the table the season before but they had ambitions to try to challenge. They had spent £100m on a new training ground and assembled a good squad of young players with the potential to improve. I felt that was a really good challenge to take on.”

(Image: Getty Images)

And now the challenge is to keep them there.

Rodgers nods: “The top six down here are obviously pretty well established. If anything over the last few years they have grown further away from the teams below in 7th, 8th and 9th place.

“But I had the belief we could come in and challenge that. OK, we’re nowhere near the budgets and the income levels of some of these clubs but can we still find a way to do it? That’s what I’ve always wanted in my career - that kind of challenge.

“We’ll see. The players are very much on board with our style and our identity. The supporters have seen the change from where they were, adding to that counter attacking style. We still have a lot of improvements to make but it’s going well and I’m enjoying the challenge.”