Brendan Rodgers’s decision to swap Celtic for Leicester City may have boosted Aberdeen’s chances of landing silverware this season but Dons manager Derek McInnes reckons the Northern Irishman’s departure will be a loss to Scottish football.
The Foxes confirmed the appointment of Rodgers on a three-year deal yesterday with Neil Lennon returning to Parkhead to take charge on an interim basis until the end of the season.
Rodgers has won seven trophies out of seven since replacing Ronny Deila in the summer of 2016 but was granted permission to talk to the English Premier League side yesterday.
McInnes feels Rodgers played an important part in helping raise the profile of the Scottish game but was not shocked when Leicester made the 46-year-old their number one target after sacking Claude Puel.
McInnes, whose side host Hamilton this evening, said: “You are never totally surprised in football and I am certainly not surprised that Brendan has been courted by another team who are looking for a manager.
“A manager of his experience and stature coming into our game a few years was only seen as a positive. He has backed up his reputation and his capabilities with his results and performances at Celtic.
“You just have to deal with what you are up against. I think he has been very good for Celtic. He came in with a job to do and that was to keep winning trophies and titles.
“He has been a very good coach and he has made a lot of players who were already there even better. But everything comes to an end at some point and it is a new challenge for Celtic and for him.
“We are just concentrating on our own team and trying to get the best out of ourselves, regardless of what other teams are doing. It doesn’t change anything from our own point of view.”
Defender Scott McKenna returns from suspension for the Dons with winger Gary Mackay-Steven a doubt for tonight’s match after picking up a knock in Saturday’s 2-0 win at St Johnstone.
The Dons are hoping to address a poor run of form on home soil against Accies with only one win in six matches ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final against Rangers.
McInnes said: “It is always important to win at home and we normally do.
“We feel we are a good away team and we feel we are a good home team and we just need to show that against Accies.”