Brendan Rodgers next Chelsea manager endorsement as ex-Rangers star brands Celtic boss 'elite level'

Rodgers returned for a second stint in charge of Celtic last summer having lifted back-to-back trebles during his first spell before departing for Leicester City, where he also won an FA Cup.

Chelsea's Mauricio Pochettino has come under pressure this season with some reports suggesting European qualification would be a prerequisite if the 52-year-old is to survive into the second half of the two-year deal he signed last summer, after pressure grew in the wake of the 5-0 hammering by Arsenal at the end of April.

The Argentinian's side have since hauled themselves firmly into Europa League contention with Thursday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham moving the Blues to within three points of the top six and a place in UEFA's second tier competition.

However, rumours continue to circulate around Pochettino's future and, if he were to be replaced this summer, Miller reckons Rodgers should be firmly in the mix to take over at Stamford Bridge.

“It would take an incredible knock-back if Chelsea were to come calling for him - he’s been there before working in the academy, so he knows all about the club," he said.

“For me, Brendan Rodgers is an elite level manager and there’s not too many of them about. You can think of Guardiola and Klopp in the Premier League at the moment - Rodgers is up there with these guys.

“He had a bit of a raw deal in the end during his time at Leicester, after his team achieved great stuff off the back of his time at Celtic. You look at his time at Liverpool, where he nearly won the league as well.

“In terms of British managers, Brendan Rodgers is right up there and is an elite level coach, so it wouldn’t surprise me if those types of jobs were on the horizon at some point - that’s the level he’s at.

“If that were to happen in the summer, you’d say the Chelsea job is right at the top of that list. I’m a big Pochettino fan as well, to be honest, and I think what he has done with the group he’s got there is building towards something, although they’re far from the finished article.

“What Brendan has proved is that he can bring that kind of group together as well. If he were to be given that option, then it would be a really hard one to turn down for Brendan.”

Miller, speaking to BoyleSports who offer the latest Old Firm odds, added: “Chelsea have a really young, talented squad and in a few years could be in a far better place, and maybe compete for the Premier League.

“It would be a tough one to turn down for him. However, I do feel as though he has unfinished business up in Scotland, having left under a cloud last time, during the middle of the 2018/19 season.

“There were a lot of unhappy fans, and it was then announced that he was coming back last year because of how he left things. Now, he’s got a month to prove that it was the right decision to come back - to do this, he needs to deliver the league and cup double for Celtic.

“In Glasgow, there’s always a positive and a negative. When Phillippe Clement came in, he outshone Brendan, who then came under some unfair criticism because they lost that seven-point lead.

“He doesn’t need to prove anything, I’m not saying that, but he’ll feel in himself that he needs to win to stay involved in these types of conversations about the top jobs. He needs to show that he’s a level above and deliver now."