Brendan Rodgers was the driving force behind his immediate exit from Celtic to Leicester.

According to sources within Leicester City, they were prepared to wait for Rodgers until the end of the season following the weekend dismissal of Claude Puel, but it was Rodgers himself that was keen to get started in his new role immediately.

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Celtic fans have been angered by the timing and nature of the exit as the Parkhead side push for an unprecedented treble treble. Rodgers has left them eight points clear at the top of the league and with a Scottish Cup quarter-final place, but with just 11 league games remaining when he left the club there was a feeling of shock and betrayal among the support.

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It is understood that Leicester would have been prepared to appoint an interim manager, which ironically could have been Neil Lennon, in order to enable Rodgers to see out the season at Celtic.

However, the suggestion is that at Rodgers' behest there was an insistence to offer the compensation fee that would trigger his release clause and enable him to leave his Celtic post with immediate effect.

The 46-year-old took training at Lennoxtown on Monday morning with only those players who had not started Sunday's game against Motherwell in attendance but oblivious to what was going on behind the scenes.

Lennon maintained the lead at the top of the table with a 2-1 win at Tynecastle last night courtesy of a 92nd-minute winner from Odsonne Edouard.