Alistair Johnston says Brendan Rodgers is “a manager you love to play for” and the defender hopes the Celtic boss remains at the club “for the long term”.
Before the league leaders thrashed Kilmarnock at the weekend, Rodgers quashed any doubts about his future by saying he was “150%” sure he will still be Celtic boss next season.
Celtic face St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup semi-finals this weekend and they can clinch a 13th title in 14 years if they avoid defeat when they take on Dundee United at Tannadice in the first round of post-split fixtures.
“The gaffer’s been great since he walked in the door,” Johnston said. “I think his resume speaks for itself in terms of not only his time here, but his time outside Scotland.
“I mean, he’s a winner. It’s as simple as that, he’s a manager that you love to play for.
“He’s proven time and time again what a top manager he is, how much he loves this club and how much he loves being here for the fans.
“Hopefully there’s something that can keep him here for the long term.”
Despite signing under previous boss Ange Postecoglou, Johnston credits Rodgers with freeing up the defender.
The 26-year-old added: “Obviously, I came in under Ange. I was brought in to invert and I kind of hit the ground running a little bit.
“But I was still kind of starry-eyed a little bit, just trying to find my place and when [Rodgers] came in, he kind of really unlocked me in terms of wanting me to be that full-back that bombs up and down.
“He saw I had the ability to do that. Between him and [assistant coach] John Kennedy, they’ve really kind of fine-tuned my game and brought me into probably my finest form.
“He’s been great for me, there’s no doubt about that, and I’ve really enjoyed playing under him and hopefully that’ll continue for a long, long time.”
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