Brendan Rodgers waxes lyrical over unsung Celtic star who he wants to work with 'for as long as I possibly can'

Brendan Rodgers admits he wants Greg Taylor to thrash out his Celtic future sooner rather than later.

The Hoops left-back is approaching the final six months of his contract and has yet to agree a new deal with the Scottish champions. It's understood Taylor, 27, wants to extend his stay at Parkhead and Rodgers is equally keen to tie him up for the long-term. Talks are ongoing between both parties but with January looming, the Scotland defender will be able to hold talks with other clubs.

Rodgers hopes it doesn't get to that stage as he waxed lyrical over the unsung hero who has been a crucial figure for Celts on and off the field since joining from Kilmarnock in 2019. Fellow full-back Alistair Johnston is believed to be on the verge of committing his long-term future to the Hoops but while Rodgers had nothing to add on that front, the Northern Irishman spoke glowing of Taylor.

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Asked for a contract update, he said: "Nothing as of yet. You see his importance to our game the other night. I think the possibility of having two quality players in each position, I think that's what you see in the game the other night. We play Alex (Valle) in the semi-final and he does fantastically well. Tuesday night was a different game, I felt, and what we wanted from the game.

"So I can bring then Greg in and you see the level that he played at, how clean he was, how bright he was, how well he defended, how well he attacked. So he's clearly obviously someone I see as a big part of what we're looking to continue here and I hope over the coming months that we can do that.

"There does come a point where both sides, we have to understand what we're thinking, because if it's not going to happen, then OK, we know that. We can then plan and prepare going forward. But I really hope it doesn't get to that because I love working with Greg Taylor.

"He's played, what, about 186 games here. I can't tell you how influential he is off the pitch and how good he's been on the pitch for this club, the consistency and also how we play. Both our full-backs are absolutely critical for us and how we operate, and they have two totally different functions and how they work. Greg is a specialist in what he does for us and you see the flow of the team.

"I watched the game the other night. RB Leipzig pressing us with four players. We're getting five in our build-up. We've got different solutions to get through. He's a massive part of that. So, I really hope that we can do something. Plus, I really, really like him.

"He's such a good guy. He loves being here. He's a big voice in the changing room. Every single day in training, he's so good. He's focused. He's just married. He'll be a father later on in the year as well. So, we want him to really settle down and get everything ready for him. I just want to continue working with him for as long as I possibly can."