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‘Not his strength’… Brendan Rodgers tells 24-year-old Celtic player he’s not fit enough to play in the Champions League

Celtic’s results in the Champions League this season left a lot to be desired. The performances from Brendan Rodgers’ side deserved more but, ultimately, the quality was not in the team to qualify from the group.

But it seems that it’s not quality that 24-year-old Celtic midfielder David Turnbull lacks. The midfielder found himself out of the starting eleven whenever a Champions League fixture came around and here, Brendan Rodgers explains why.

Rodgers said [], “It’s one of the areas in the team I want to improve.

“We’ve got David Turnbull, whose strengths are to play against low blocks when we’re trying to nick a goal.

“Getting around the pitch is maybe not his strength. When you go into Champions League games you need that ability to run. So Paulo Bernardo has played in those games.”

Brendan Rodgers’ verdict on David Turnbull is not good news for his Celtic career

For weeks now TBR Celtic have been telling how pundits and former Celtic players have raised concerns with the fitness levels of David Turnbull.

Celtic FC v St. Mirren FC - Cinch Scottish Premiership
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Like I said at the beginning, Turnbull has the quality to become a very good Celtic player. Rodgers himself admitted that he is one of the most technical players at the club.

But ultimately, the Champions League is where the Celtic manager wants to improve and if he has a player that he is saying isn’t fit enough to play in the competition, it doesn’t bode well for his future at the club.

With Turnbull’s contract coming into its final six months and rumours that there is transfer interest in the player, January will be a big month for the Celtic midfielder as he will either be offered a new deal or told his future lies elsewhere.

In other news, ‘I know’… Mark Guidi now makes exciting Celtic transfer claim ahead of January window