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CELTIC boss Brendan Rodgers last night tipped new keeper Dorus De Vries to push Craig Gordon all the way to be Parkhead No.1.

And the Hoops gaffer says losing the Dutchman when he was at Swansea was as bad as letting superstar striker Luis Suarez leave Liverpool .

Rodgers hailed De Vries’ arrival after the 35-year-old penned a two-year deal.

And in an ominous warning to Gordon, he insists the former Nottingham Forest goalie will be vital to how he wants Celtic to play.

(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

After a 2-0 friendly defeat to Inter Milan last night, Rodgers said: “I need a goalkeeper who – when we have possession – we have 11 players.

“I need someone who can distribute the ball and pass it. Dorus is as good as I’ve seen at that in all my travels.

“I’ve been really disappointed twice in my career when I’ve lost players – one was Suarez at Liverpool and the first one was De Vries at Swansea.

“That’s because he was such a key part of how I worked there.

“He comes into what is already a good number of keepers here and his game is perfectly suited to how I want to work. He’s there to push Craig.”

(Image: SNS Group)

Rodgers will now prepare for Wednesday’s vital Champions League play-off first leg against Hapoel Be’er Sheva at Parkhead – and he has Nir Bitton and Erik Sviatchenko back in contention after injury.

The Hoops boss said: “Our home game is going to be important. Ideally the situation would be that we’d take a lead, one as big as we possibly can.

“We’re going to have 60,000 creating an incredible atmosphere.”