Rodgers explains the role he wants Armstrong to play

Brendan Rodgers has explained how Stuart Armstrong has worked his way into his starting team at Celtic and where he sees him playing in the future.

Having started in just seven of his 14 games this season, the 23-year-old has come into the team and looked much better in his last three appearances, scoring his second goal of the season in midweek.

As quoted by STV, the Irishman spoke of his improvement and said:

He’s played a lot of his time here on the left side which I can understand why coaches and managers would play him there because he’s very diligent, he works well and he has an eye for goal.

We spoke to him a lot in pre-season in terms of his positioning and where he felt most comfortable and at that time it was maybe difficult for him to get a game in his preferred position.

What he’s done is, each day from that, he’s looked to improve, get better and understand the tactical element of playing on the inside.

When he came on in the League Cup semi-final he played beside Scott Brown and you saw his pace, energy and his ability to burst through.

He played (against Ross County) as one of the two players sitting in midfield but he can also play in that advanced role as well.

Rodgers has been looking for a midfielder to complement Scott Brown’s impressive performances this season and Armstrong could be the answer for the Hoops.

On Wednesday, Armstrong made his 70th appearance for Celtic in all competitions – and has racked up eight goals and 13 assists in that time.

The midfielder joined under Ronny Deila on deadline day in 2015, and has had a few up and downs since his time at the club.

Armstrong will likely be in the starting line-up once again tomorrow (Saturday) when Celtic will face Aberdeen at Pittodrie and will look to lay down a marker for their Champions League trip to Germany where they face Borussia Monchengladbach.