Brendan Rodgers parts ways with Celtic after opting to resign | OneFootball

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has parted company with the club following an underwhelming start to the season, according to an official statement by the club.

The Hoops are eight points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts following the 3-1 defeat last weekend.

The pressure was already mounting on Rodgers after Dundee had previously handed the Bhoys their first league defeat of the season.

Broadcaster Jim White claimed just a few minutes before the Hoops announced Rodgers’ resignation that a change was on the cards, which has now happened.

Celtic return to action on Wednesday when they take on at Parkhead before hosting Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final on Sunday.

Former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill and ex-player Shaun Maloney will take charge on an interim basis.

Losing the Champions League play-offs to Kairat Almaty in August was the beginning of Celtic’s woes, and Rodgers and the club have gone their separate ways.

It would not surprise many that the former Leicester City manager has left before his contract ended at the end of the current campaign.

Rodgers has been linked with a return to the Premier League, with Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Fulham likely to need a new manager at the end of the season.

Their bosses are all out of a deal when the campaign ends, and Rodgers will be in the running if a managerial vacancy arises in the English top flight.

Celtic will begin an immediate search for a replacement and will be eager to appoint one capable of helping them punch above their weight in Europe.

The board will be desperate to ensure that the league title is won this term, and the next Hoops boss will be tasked with hitting the ground running across all competitions.