Liverpool midfielder James Milner has backed former manager Brendan Rodgers to bounce back after his side failed to qualify for the Champions League this season.

The Hoops lost on aggregate to AEK Athens in their Champions League third round qualifier, damning them to no CL football for the first time under Rodgers.

They will however get the chance to partake in the Europa League next season instead, with a fixture against FK Suduva coming up.

Milner, who was signed by Rodgers for the Reds back in 2015, has insisted that Rodgers is a better manager now than he was when he managed Liverpool – predicting that Celtic will continue to go from strength to strength under the Northern Irishman.

“Brendan did well at Anfield and he came so close to ending that long wait for the title,” said Milner. “He’ll be a better manager now for his experience at Liverpool.

“The success he’s had in Scotland suggests that. Brendan did a good job at Liverpool and he’s doing a good job at Parkhead.

“Liverpool’s loss has been Celtic’s gain. He came here and he’s won every trophy so far – he hasn’t lost a cup tie since he came to Celtic, which is ridiculous – no matter what level you’re playing at, that takes some doing.

“The Champions League is very tough, especially when you factor in the number of games Celtic need to play just to reach the groups.

“I’ve played in qualifiers before and people see some of the teams involved, with players they’ve never heard of, and they think it’s going to be easy, but it hardly ever works out that way.

“You find that they’re in the qualifiers for a reason. They might not have the same exposure as the clubs from the biggest countries, but these are hard ties, especially because they come so early in the season.

“All the hard work you have done the year before to get into a position to get into the Champions League qualifiers can be thrown away in a two-legged game. It is tough. European football is obviously important to a club like Celtic.

“I’m sure they’ll be pushing hard to get into the Europa League group stages. That is a great competition as well. Unfortunately, I lost to Seville in the final with Liverpool. Thinking about not winning that European trophy still hurts.

“There is quality in the Europa League from the start, even before the clubs from the Champions League drop in. It’s a very good tournament to do well in.”
[Quotes via heraldscotland]