Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers admitted they need to sort out their pitch and their penalties following a narrow victory over Ross County.

Rodgers claimed the Celtic Park surface was more like a field than a pitch after his side laboured at times towards a 1-0 win which restored their five-point lead over Rangers in the cinch Premiership.

Alistair Johnston’s deflected first-minute strike looked likely to open the floodgates but Luis Palma twice saw penalty attempts saved by George Wickens.

The Honduras winger put his second effort in the exact same spot after a retake was ordered following the encroachment of three County players into the area.

County hit the crossbar through Will Nightingale and threatened in the closing stages when Joe Hart held Jordan White’s effort at the second attempt.

Rodgers felt his side’s attempts were hindered by the pitch cutting up.

“We made a good start, then missing penalties creates bit of anxiety in the stadium,” he said.

“Then we’ve probably just not been decisive, in the first half. Second half the structure was better.

“It’s very difficult to play on the pitch and the challenge for us. People were miscuing the ball.

“Joe didn’t have much to do then – after the little breakaway at the end – he makes a good save and the guys get the job done.”

Rodgers claimed both his team and the opposition are surprised by the state of the pitch.

He added: “You look at (Liam) Scales’ pass, it comes off the toe and popped off, (Matt) O’Riley’s popped up and the fans get anxious but that’s the pitch. Then Cal (McGregor) gets ready to take a shot and it pops up and nearly goes up towards the top tier.

“I know speaking to the staff it has been the situation over the last few years.

“It’s something as a club we need to address, as a flagship club in Scotland and especially with how we want to play.

“It’s not overloaded with games – it’s more a field than a pitch. That’s the reality but however it sits, we have to get the job done and thankfully we did that.”

Palma also missed a penalty against Motherwell while Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull have failed from 12 yards over the past 12 months.

“It’s something that’s worked on in training but you’ve got to be able to do that in the game so we’ll have to look at another taker,” Rodgers said.

The final whistle was met with some jeers from the home support but Rodgers was accustomed to the dissent.

“I’ve had that since I’ve been here,” he said. “If it’s not the result, it’s me. If not me, the board.

“So, all we can do as a team is win games and try to improve and develop – and win. That’s what the team has done.

“The team and ourselves as staff work hard every day together and that’s how we will continue to be. If it falls below the expectation, then we’ll do everything we can to be better.”

County manager Derek Adams was far happier with his side then seven days earlier after appearing to hint at regrets over returning to Dingwall following his side’s 3-0 Scottish Gas Scottish Cup defeat by Partick Thistle.

Adams said: “I thought to go down so early, the character was very good.

“We had four debutants and the way we played in and out of possession was very good. We hit the bar and got Joe Hart to make a good save towards the end.

“It’s not easy going down so early but the manner of the performance was excellent.”

Luis Palma twice missed a penalty as Celtic relied on Alistair Johnston’s deflected first-minute strike to beat Ross County 1-0 in the Premiership.

Johnston’s first goal of the season looked set to open the floodgates but County responded well and on-loan Fulham goalkeeper George Wickens kept them in the game by denying Palma a second time from the spot following a retake.

The visitors hit the crossbar through Will Nightingale and the Celtic Park crowd endured a nervy finale as County finished strongly.

It was job done for Celtic in the end as they restored their five-point lead in the cinch Premiership following Rangers’ lunchtime win over St Mirren, but the final whistle was met with a mixture of cheers, jeers and relief after County twice came close in stoppage-time.

Callum McGregor returned from his extended winter break to make his 450th Celtic appearance, while Cameron Carter-Vickers was back from a hamstring injury to replace Maik Nawrocki.

A calf injury for Greg Taylor paved the way for Alexandro Bernabei to make his first start and only fifth appearance under Brendan Rodgers.

The left-back made his mark in the opening minute as his low cross found Liel Abada. The Israel international’s shot was blocked before falling for Johnston 18 yards out. The right-back’s strike appeared to take a deflection off Nightingale before spinning over the line.

Without a win in their previous five games and on the back of a 3-0 cup defeat by Partick Thistle – which elicited another interview from manager Derek Adams which was unlikely to help team morale – the visitors might have been expected to fold.

But they responded with a decent spell of pressure of their own, although they should have been two down when Wickens’ parry from Matt O’Riley’s strike fell for Paulo Barnardo 12 yards out, although the Portuguese midfielder shot over the empty net.

Celtic had another glorious chance after Simon Murray tripped McGregor inside the box.

Palma delayed the run-up to his first penalty attempt and Wickens dived low to his right to stop.

After a lengthy delay, referee Euan Anderson signalled a retake, given the video assistant had spotted three County players encroaching inside the box. Palma delivered almost the exact same spot-kick – minus the delay – and Wickens saved again.

Celtic almost paid the price when Joe Hart completely missed Yan Dhanda’s corner but Nightingale headed off the crossbar from close range.

Wickens produced two more saves from Palma just before the interval to leave the game in the balance.

Celtic were more in control after the break but a two-goal cushion proved elusive.

O’Riley twice came close from long range and Wickens made a good stop from a header from Carter-Vickers, who made way for Nawrocki in the 64th minute as Rodgers looks to ensure his return is lasting.

Nicolas Kuhn replaced Palma at the same time to make his debut and the former Rapid Vienna winger showed flashes of skill and direct running.

However, County were encouraged by the narrow scoreline and put Celtic under pressure in the closing stages.

Josh Sims embarked on a lengthy run and squared for fellow substitute Jordan White, whose effort was held at the second attempt by Hart following an initial parry at full stretch.

The home support showed their frustration as Celtic failed to manage the game and Sims also came close when he hooked the ball over from six yards.

Brendan Rodgers vowed Celtic would not be selling any key players this month after rejecting Atletico Madrid’s bid for Matt O’Riley.

Rodgers described the LaLiga side’s offer for the Denmark midfielder as way below Celtic’s valuation but claimed the money was irrelevant with the club not needing to sell.

Celtic’s lead at the top of the cinch Premiership was cut to five points by Rangers’ win over Hibernian on Wednesday with the Ibrox club still holding one game in hand.

And Rodgers is keen to emerge from the window with a stronger squad rather than a weakened one.

“Matt is a player we don’t want to lose and he won’t be going anywhere in January,” Rodgers said.

“It’s a great testament to him and what the club can do for a player. He won his first international cap this season and Atletico Madrid are a big club in European football.

“But he is very much part of what we are doing. He has been a joy to work with and I had a good chat with Matt and he is someone who will be here for us in the second part of the season.”

The 23-year-old is pushing for Denmark’s Euro 2024 squad and appears happy to continue developing at Celtic Park. The former MK Dons player has produced 10 goals and 12 assists this season and recently extended his contract until 2027.

“It’s one of the things I have been really impressed with Matt, his mentality, his professionalism and the respect he has for Celtic,” Rodgers said.

“He had an opportunity in the summer but he was very happy to extend here and obviously Atletico Madrid is a huge club but he also knows he is in a great place here. He has really kicked on this season and he wants to continue with that.

“Firstly, you have a value of the player and certainly what has come in for Matt in the time I have been here is nowhere near the valuation of the quality of player he is. But even if it was we are in a position where we don’t want to sell.”

When asked if it would take a special offer to prise any of his key players away this month, Rodger said: “They won’t be going, it’s as simple as that. January is a difficult month anyway, whether it’s bringing players in or looking to sell players. It’s not something we want to do. We have no interest in that.”

Nicolas Kuhn is Celtic’s sole January signing and the former Rapid Vienna winger is in line to make his debut against Ross County on Saturday.

Rodgers revealed work was continuing to add more but nothing was imminent.

“We have a lot of quality players in our squad that are improving and developing and I want to add more to that,” said the Celtic manager, who will welcome Cameron Carter-Vickers back from injury against County.

“But it’s never easy to add quality because other clubs don’t want to lose quality players.

“But it’s something that is continually being worked on and I hope before the window shuts that we are able to do that.”

He added: “I don’t want to be in a rush to bring in a player, it always has to be the right player.

“And also I want to be here for a period of time, as long of course as I’m successful, so I want to create an opportunity for young players to come through here.

“Everyone talks about signings and I always say you might have someone within your academy, but you need to have the space for those payers to flourish and develop.

“So, yes, I hope we can add to the group, and I’m confident that we can, but also I want to develop the talents that are here and continually grow them.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told Rocco Vata he had to continue earning the right to play after the 18-year-old netted his first goal in a 5-0 Scottish Gas Scottish Cup victory over Buckie Thistle.

The winger has been linked with clubs such as Sampdoria, Bologna and Como and his contract expires in the summer, but he was handed his first appearance of the season and tapped home from close range to round off the win.

Rodgers, who also brought 18-year-old debutant Daniel Kelly off the bench, said: “Young players have to earn the right. There’s been a lot of noise around Rocco but any young player has to earn the opportunity. I’ve given many young players opportunities in my career.

“But I like Rocco, he has qualities. He is strong, he’s aggressive, he wants to get goals. When he came on he got his goal and he had other opportunities.

“And Daniel Kelly is a young player I really like. If he keeps progressing and developing he will have a big future. He is left-sided, he is quick and strong, he presses the game very well.

“They get a taste of it and hopefully that gives them the motivation and determination to continue progressing.”

When asked about Vata’s future, Rodgers said: “That will be up to him. He’s a talent.

“It depends what the mentality is with him and his representatives. You get some young players whose representatives will tell you if they are not playing in the first team, starting, they don’t want to stay. You better go then, because you have got to earn the right.

“He is 18, I don’t need players ready at 18 unless they are real, real special talents, but by 20-21 they need to be ready.

“But you can see he has tools and this can be a really good place for him to develop.”

When asked if there was an offer on the table for the teenager, Rodgers said: “I believe so. There’s been chats around that but my focus is purely on the playing aspect. But there will be something there for him, I’m sure.”

Although he gave chances to Vata and 18-year-old Kelly and rested captain Callum McGregor, Rodgers played a strong team and saw his side progress to the fifth round with Paulo Bernardo, Odin Thiago Holm, Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma also on the scoresheet.

Rodgers said: “It was a good day for both clubs. From our perspective, professionally got the job done, played some really good football, scored some good goals, could have had more but the timing was a little bit out.

“And for Buckie Thistle, it’s an amazing day. The players gave everything and the support was there for the team right to the end.”

Celtic also had four goals disallowed and saw a potential penalty for a trip on Liel Abada ruled out because of an offside after a VAR review – sparking memories of a much-discussed penalty appeal for handball from Rangers on their recent defeat at Celtic Park.

Rodgers said: “It’s protocol, according to the fourth official, they have to look to see if it’s a penalty first before they look to disallow it because it’s offside, which just seems ridiculous really.

“If it’s offside then the penalty doesn’t even matter – as we know.”

Meanwhile, any hopes Celtic had of signing Owen Beck this month have ended after the left-back came on in Liverpool’s win at Bournemouth.

The Wales Under-21 international had been linked with Celtic after an impressive loan spell at Dundee but he cannot play for another team this season after featuring for his parent club.

Rocco Vata seized a surprise chance in the Celtic team to score his first goal for the club in a 5-0 victory over Buckie Thistle.

Vata appeared to be on the way out of Celtic amid several links with Serie A clubs but the 18-year-old came off the bench in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth-round tie amid reports of talks over extending his contract beyond the summer.

The winger hit Celtic’s fifth goal from close range as the holders eased into the fifth round. Odin Thiago Holm also netted his first Celtic goal while Paulo Bernardo, Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma were also on target.

But Thistle’s offside trap helped them keep the score to a respectable level – Celtic had four goals disallowed.

The Highland League side even had a couple of moments at the other end to excite their roughly 3,000 travelling supporters.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers named a strong team with only Callum McGregor rested. The captain was handed an extended winter break, thus ending a run of 59 consecutive starts for the midfielder stretching back to December 2022.

Holm made his fourth start of the season in place of McGregor while Liel Abada returned to the starting line-up for the first time since suffering a thigh injury in September.

Buckie got their first taste of VAR after two minutes when referee Chris Graham was called to his monitor to review what appeared to be a trip on Abada, but an offside was spotted in the build-up.

It would be a regular theme of the game and Buckie had another escape when a close offside decision denied Greg Taylor after the left-back’s cross had gone in off Thistle goalkeeper Stuart Knight.

The breakthrough eventually came in the 25th minute when Bernardo lifted the ball over Knight after taking Matt O’Riley’s pass in his stride.

Furuhashi had a goal disallowed after Abada was ruled offside before crossing, before Holm netted in off the post in the 33rd minute following a one-two with O’Riley.

Liam Scales headed off the bar before the Buckie fans were on their feet after centre-forward Josh Peters was played clean through. Joe Hart saved with his feet and there was a suspicion of offside – no flag was raised and Celtic played on and broke for Furuhashi to convert Abada’s low cross four minutes before the break.

There was still time for another disallowed goal before half-time with Abada again caught out from O’Riley’s pass before squaring for Bernardo to net.

Palma extended the lead in the 50th minute when he cut in from the right and fired a left-footed shot inside the near post from 20 yards.

Abada then shot wide from a simple chance before becoming the latest Celtic player to have a goal disallowed for offside.

Buckie fans dreamed again when a VAR check took place for a potential penalty after Scales grappled with Peters but the game continued.

Vata tapped home in the 76th minute after good wing play from fellow substitute Mikey Johnston.

Rodgers handed a debut to 18-year-old midfielder Daniel Kelly and brought on Stephen Welsh – but seven minutes too late for the defender to face his cousin, Peters, who had gone off for the visitors.

Knight saved well from Palma and Kelly before the Buckie players took the acclaim of their supporters.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is unaware of any concrete interest in Matt O’Riley and believes the midfielder is happy to continue improving in his team.

Reports claim Spanish league leaders Girona are considering making a move for the Denmark international ahead of the transfer deadline.

But the 23-year-old signed a new contract earlier in the season that ties him to Glasgow until 2027 and appears focused on his game.

Rodgers said: “I’m not aware of any (interest). But it’s natural, if you’ve got good players then of course they will attract attention. But I’m not focused on that at all.

“We don’t want to be losing any (of our best players). The plan was to add to the squad and that’s still the plan.

“If a player doesn’t want to be here then my experience is you are better off moving them on. It’s as simple as that.

“Of course the club is in a really strong position with no need to sell and no thoughts of selling.

“Matt is really, really happy here. He signed a new deal, he has really progressed, he is into double figures now in goals, and his assists are there.

“For him as a young player, he is a brilliant professional, all he wants to do is improve and he can see the improvement here. Just take it day by day and assess it from there.”

In terms of incomings, Rodgers was looking for quality rather than quantity this month and believes he has added that in former Ajax and Bayern Munich reserve winger Nicolas Kuhn.

“There’s a lot of work going on and hopefully before the window shuts, we can improve the squad,” he said.

“It normally goes right through to the end. I am quite relaxed on it. I know what we need to improve but unless it’s the right type of quality and player then we won’t be in a rush to do anything.

“And likewise if something comes in too late that doesn’t suit the squad and how strong we are then we won’t need to do anything.

“If it was just about numbers we could have had people in on January 1, but it’s not. It’s about getting quality in and that can take time.

“Nicolas has had that big-club experience before. He is a very talented player. Now he is at an age where he has done very well with Rapid Vienna and can make that next step.

“He fits the profile in terms of how we work – he is super quick, direct, dynamic and we feel we can continually improve his game.

Neither Kuhn nor Cameron Carter-Vickers, who is on his way back from a hamstring strain, will play in Sunday’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth-round tie against Buckie Thistle.

Rodgers said: “Nic won’t be involved at the weekend. He had actually been quite a period out. He had an operation on his teeth so he lost a bit of strength. But he will be okay for Ross County.

“Cam won’t be involved this weekend but by Ross County he will be fine.

“He has been out on the field for a little while. It’s been a frustrating period for him in the opening part of the season, he has picked up some niggles on the back of not having a full pre-season. But we are really hoping he can stay fit and strong for the second part.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers enjoyed seeing Buckie Thistle players celebrate getting paired with his side in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup draw – but he will otherwise treat them like any other opponent.

The Highland League side are set for the biggest game in their history when they travel to Glasgow for Sunday’s fourth-round tie.

Footage emerged of the players on a night out reacting to the draw 24 hours after they beat Broxburn Athletic on penalties in the third round despite getting two men sent off.

Rodgers told Celtic TV: “For me it’s never mattered who the opponent is, we always prepare exactly the same and go through it with great detail.

“But it’s a great story for them. A lot of their players are part-time and to be able to come to Celtic will be a great occasion.

“I saw some of the images of the celebration when the guys saw they had drawn Celtic, which is great, that’s what cup competitions are all about.

“But of course our professional head is to get the job done and get into the next round. We have to be super-focused and professional.”

Celtic new boy Nicolas Kuhn believes Parkhead is the perfect place to achieve his ambitions at club and country level.

The 24-year-old attacker, who signed a five-and-a-half-year deal from Rapid Vienna on Tuesday, played at youth level for Germany up until under-20s and was in the academy teams of RB Leipzig and Ajax before joining Bayern Munich in 2020 following an initial loan move.

Kuhn did not quite make the breakthrough at those European giants before moving to Austria in 2022 but is now looking to kick on, with Champions League football and a senior call-up for Germany in his sights.

Speaking at Celtic Park, he said: “Of course they (Ajax and Bayern) were big clubs. I learned a lot, it was a good school.

“There were a lot of players who had a good career and who made big steps to big clubs so I learned a lot and now I want to show what I can do here.

“At Ajax I played with the whole squad that got to the semi-finals of the Champions League (2019), I trained the whole year with the first team.

“At Bayern I played with players like (Robert) Lewandowski and (Joshua) Kimmich and all the guys you know.

“I think at Ajax I did really good in the youths. When I first arrived, we won the second league with the second team. I trained the whole time with the first team. In the youth league, I was the top scorer and I deserved a chance.

“But then I made the move to Bayern. After the first season, we were also champions with the second team in the third league in Germany.

“Then there were some private problems so I made a step back.

“People were looking at where I was playing but for me it was a good step. So I can take two steps forward now.

“I’ve improved a lot, I think. I’ve now played regularly and I’ve stayed fit. That’s the most important thing. Now I can show what I’m able to do.

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“When I was at Erzgebirge Aue for one year on loan, I said I wanted to play in the Champions League and for the national team.

“Now I’ve made a big step to a big club. So, of course, in the future, I want to play for the national team as well.”

Kuhn had interest from other clubs but insists the call from Celtic and a chat with boss Brendan Rodgers made up his mind to make the move to Glasgow.

He said: “We had some really good meetings, we talked a lot and he told me what a great and big club this is although I knew about Celtic before and I also saw some games.

“He convinced me to come here and everything he told me was really nice and I had the first training session today.

“It was clear at the moment Celtic called and showed interest that I wanted to come here.

“There was some interest from other clubs but the moment I received the message I didn’t think about going somewhere else.”

Celtic have signed winger Nicolas Kuhn from Rapid Vienna for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal at Parkhead.

Manager Brendan Rodgers told the club’s website: “We are delighted to welcome Nicolas to Celtic. We believe he is a dynamic player who has an excellent level of quality and all the attributes to fit well into our style of play.

“He has a real attacking intent, a player with great pace and ideas, the ability to create and score goals and a player with a great energy and work ethic.

“He is someone who can play wide on both sides so he brings with him that versatility for us too.”

Kuhn added: “I’m really excited and I can’t wait to play out here. It’s unbelievable and I don’t really have words. This is what every footballer dreams of.

“I can play on the left, as a second striker or as a number 10. Most of the time, though, I have played on the right wing.

“I am really motivated to do well for this great club and I want to get working immediately as we face our challenges in the league and the cup this year, so I’m really excited for what’s coming.”

Brendan Rodgers revealed Celtic once came close to signing Declan Rice as he highlighted the precarious nature of January transfer deals.

Rodgers hopes to add to his squad early in the month but added a note of caution in the tale of England midfielder Rice, who moved from West Ham to Arsenal in a £105million deal in the summer.

Rodgers has previously spoken of the need to sign players who can make an instant impact with most of the club’s summer signings still to establish themselves in the team.

The Celtic manager, whose first spell in Glasgow came in 2016-2019, said: “The club will do absolutely everything we can to support what we need and what the team needs.

“There is lots of work going on in the background, and I’m pretty sure that in this early period of the month, we can have some joy and get one or two in. Ideally you’d want to get them in (early).

“Deals can be complicated and things that might have been there for three or four months can fall away. That’s always the challenge – it only takes one injury to (affect) a player who was lined up to come in.

“I remember when I was here the first time, we spent about three months looking for Declan Rice to come in.

“Declan was all set to come in and then all of a sudden they (West Ham) had an injury, he stayed and got in the team and the rest is history. That’s not the club’s fault – it’s just the way it goes.

“We have a number of positions we want to prioritise. There are other positions where we won’t be able to do anything until the summer, I know that. But what I do know is that we want to improve the squad and the club are very happy to support that.”

Rodgers is looking to reduce the size of his squad this month but that process is subject to external influences as well.

“I have regular dialogue with players but still we obviously have to wait and see as well because some players may want to go out but, if we don’t get the players in that we need, then I have to ensure the squad is as strong as it possibly can be for the second part of the season,” he said.

The Scottish Football Association has hit back at Rangers as the row over a non-penalty incident at Celtic Park continues.

Celtic defender Alistair Johnston appeared to handle the ball inside the area in the first half of the cinch Premiership clash at Parkhead on December 30 while under pressure from Gers forward Abdallah Sima.

Referee Nick Walsh pointed for a goal kick and the decision was confirmed by VAR official Willie Collum following a check.

It later emerged through Sky Sports – broadcasting the match live – that there had been an offside in the build-up and Rangers claimed that was never mentioned during the VAR analysis.

The Ibrox club called on the SFA to release the audio of the incident and following a meeting with the governing body on Wednesday, Rangers said there was “an overriding consensus the VAR decision of no handball was incorrect”.

The Govan club also added they were “deeply concerned” by the speed of the decision and there were reports that the club had requested that Collum not be involved in Rangers games going forward.

However, in a lengthy statement the SFA said: “The Scottish FA is disappointed by contents of the most recent statement issued by Rangers.

“Chief executive James Bisgrove and director of football operations Creag Robertson attended a private briefing with the head of referee operations, Crawford Allan, to review the incident in question, including the use of matchday audio.

“We understood from the chief executive that the meeting had been constructive and informative, and conducted amicably. This does not appear to be reflected in the club’s statement.

“During the meeting, it was pointed out that the incident in question was a subjective handball and that the VAR did not deem it a sufficiently clear and obvious error to refer to on-field review.

“Furthermore, the offside would not have been mentioned at the time as it was not part of the VAR’s decision-making on the handball.

“It was highlighted within Clydesdale House that had the VAR considered the incident to be a handball offence and asked the referee to carry out an on-field review, the attacking phase of play would have been checked and an offside would have been identified.

“This supplementary information was relayed to broadcasters in-game, and we are reviewing the process of information dissemination to avoid any perceived ambiguity in future.

“There was an overall consensus that the incident could not have led to a penalty kick being awarded in any event, and that there was no impact on the final outcome of the match.”

The statement continued: “Since the summer, we have ensured that key match incidents [KMI] are reviewed and shared with all clubs after every full round of Premiership fixtures, including use of audio.

“We will continue to do this, along with KMI being shared with the independent review panel for their consideration and opinion.

“Finally, we note posts from a recent official media partner of the club’s detailing requests from the private meeting that were immediately rejected.

“We would ask that club representatives show greater responsibility in such matters, especially in the context of recent incidents in European football that have compromised the safety of match officials and led to widespread condemnation.”

The latter comments comes after former MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca was recently given a permanent suspension for punching referee Halil Umut Meler after his side’s draw with Caykur Rizespor in the Turkish Super Lig.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted to see an “emotional” Reo Hatate back on the pitch before the Japan midfielder departs for the Asian Cup.

Hatate made his first appearance in 10 weeks when he came off the bench during Celtic’s 3-0 win over St Mirren.

The 26-year-old’s latest lay-off because of a hamstring injury was his third leg muscle injury of 2023 and he appeared to be in tears as Rodgers embraced him after the final whistle in Paisley.

Hatate will head off to Qatar with Japan and might not be back until February but Rodgers is excited to see the midfielder perform when he returns.

“You could see afterwards he was actually quite emotional to be back out on the pitch again,” the Celtic boss said. “He’s put in so much hard work and he’s a big, big player for us.

“So hopefully he can go away and get some minutes and keep his fitness up because when he comes back he’s going to be huge for us in the second half of the season.”

Paulo Bernardo is likely to remain a key player during Hatate’s absence after making major strides in recent weeks.

The 21-year-old Benfica loan midfielder provided two brilliant assists in Paisley to add to the goals he scored against Rangers and Dundee in the previous two games.

“It is all patience,” Rodgers said. “Sometimes at big clubs there is no patience with young players. You can see him growing and developing.

“When you have young players that is what tends to happen if their attitude is right and their mentality is right.

“He has come in in these last few games and created goals and scored goals and he has put his foot in too. He is tenacious. Absolutely delighted for him. It is now about consistency.

“He’s a great learner, he’s a different type of player, maybe not as dynamic as Hatate, but he’s functional and he learns.

“He knows the runs, he knows the pressing triggers, and he’s developing and improving.”

Celtic will see four players depart for Qatar with Daizen Maeda joining Hatate in the Japan squad and South Korea calling up Yang Hyun-jun and Oh Hyeon-gyu.

However, Kyogo Furuhashi will remain with Celtic after being overlooked by Japan.

“Daizen was originally in the squad and Reo got called up a bit later,” Rodgers said. “But Kyogo has been in and out of the squad so I was relaxed anyway. We had a look at all the numbers and what it might look like.

“But, obviously, if he stays it’s really good news for us. But, for him, I’m sure he would have wanted to play in it.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers praised his players’ mentality after they followed up their derby triumph with a dominant 3-0 win over St Mirren.

The cinch Premiership leaders maintained the eight-point advantage they opened up with Saturday’s victory over Rangers, thanks to a flying start which saw Daizen Maeda net inside 60 seconds and Matt O’Riley slot home his 10th goal of the season six minutes in.

St Mirren had Toyosi Olusanya sent off in first-half stoppage-time and had goalkeeper Zach Hemming to thank for keeping the score down after Greg Taylor volleyed home on the hour mark.

Rodgers said: “It can always be a tricky game mentally and physically after a Rangers game but I thought we dealt with it really well and we made the start we wanted to. It was good tempo, good speed, so that set us up well in the game.

“These games are so important and I think as we work together more the players understand more the mentality that is required and the demands and you can now see the standard of performance we have put in place. And then the results will come.

“The second half the only downside was we never took the chances we created but we were much better 11 v 10 than we were at the weekend.

“We spoke about that after Rangers. You have to really dominate possession and counter press and we did that really well in the second half.”

Celtic have won all four of their games over the festive period after losing consecutive league matches for the first time in a decade.

“I think you can see that it is getting better and improving,” Rodgers said.

“Those results against Kilmarnock and Hearts, it was about learning from those. I think you can see the difference in the team and how they are working.

“And sometimes you need that. To have success you need to have that bit of adversity. How the players have responded to that has been fantastic.

“Their mentality, their attitude, the speed, the tempo of the games is what we want as well with much more creativity. The second part of the season I am excited about.”

Olusanya was sent off after catching Joe Hart in the face with his studs with a high boot following a VAR review but the game already looked beyond St Mirren.

Manager Stephen Robinson said: “It was a long evening. You can’t start like that and win football matches. Effectively the game was dead after six minutes.

“The more you come out the more they can open you up, so the game plan goes out the window.

“Frustrating, because we spoke about getting done on our inside shoulders with Maeda’s runs, and for the third goal we also got done for dropping our runner.

“As well as Celtic showed a lot of quality, of course, we didn’t control that situation well enough.

“Then it’s compounded by the red card which makes it damage limitation whichever way you dress it up.”

Matt O’Riley provided a goal and assist inside the first six minutes as Celtic cruised to a 3-0 victory over 10-man St Mirren.

Daizen Maeda and Greg Taylor were also on target in Paisley as Celtic went into the cinch Premiership winter break eight points clear of Rangers, who have two games in hand.

Toyosi Olusanya was sent off in first-half stoppage-time after catching Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart in the face with a high boot.

It was deja vu for St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson, whose team received red cards in their previous home matches against both Celtic and Rangers.

While the previous dismissals changed the course of those games, Celtic were in command of this one from the very start.

The champions went ahead 56 seconds in after O’Riley collected Callum McGregor’s forward pass and played the ball inside St Mirren wing-back Scott Tanser for Maeda to run onto and beat Zach Hemming.

O’Riley soon had his 10th league goal of the season. Luis Palma fed Paulo Bernardo’s run into the box and the Portuguese midfielder spun past Alex Gogic and teed up O’Riley, who sidestepped Tanser and slotted through Hemming’s legs.

Maeda put in some dangerous crosses from the right as Celtic continued to control the game. They had further chances from set-pieces with Maik Nawrocki unable to get on the end of Kyogo Furuhashi’s flick-on and O’Riley heading beyond the far post.

St Mirren’s only first-half effort was an off-target strike from Olusanya following a loose pass from Liam Scales. And a rare attack late in the half only worsened their situation.

Olusanya went in with a raised boot as Hart punched the ball clear and caught the Celtic goalkeeper in the face with his studs. Referee David Munro initially booked the St Mirren forward but was called to his monitor by video assistant referee Steven McLean and there was no surprise when he amended his card.

The second half started like an attack versus defence training routine as Taylor passed up a good chance to shoot and Palma shot over.

Hemming made a brilliant save from O’Riley shortly before Bernardo’s beautiful lofted pass set up Taylor to volley home from six yards on the hour mark.

Furuhashi headed wide from close range and Brendan Rodgers brought on three players who will join Maeda at the Asian Cup this month – the forward’s Japan team-mate Reo Hatate and South Korea pair Yang Hyun-jun and Oh Hyeon-gyu.

It was Hatate’s first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury against Atletico Madrid on October 25.

Hemming kept the score down, pulling off point-blank saves from Yang and fellow substitute Liel Abada, twice each, and Oh.

Scales also headed off the post and Alistair Johnston missed a good chance as Celtic looked to boost their goal difference.

Celtic have seen two players called up to Japan’s Asian Cup squad but not top goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi.

Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate have both been included in the squad.

Hatate has not played since suffering a hamstring injury on October 25 but was back on the bench for Celtic’s win over Rangers on Saturday.

Japan open their Qatar campaign against Vietnam on January 14 and finish the group stage on January 24. Sixteen teams go into the knockout stages ahead of the final on February 10.

South Korea pair Oh Hyeon-gyu and Yang Hyun-jun are also going to the tournament.