‘He was a huge factor’ – Hayes reveals importance of senior man in Celtic move
By Matt Bullin
New Celtic signing Jonny Hayes has revealed manager Brendan Rodgers was a huge factor in getting him to move to the Glasgow giants.
Hayes has pen-to-paper on a three-year deal at with the Hoops, in a move which also sees Ryan Christie going to Aberdeen on a season-long loan.
The Glasgow giants announced Hayes’ arrival from Aberdeen on their official website and on their official Twitter account on Saturday afternoon.
Shortly after that, in an interview with celticfc.net, he heaped praise on his new boss.
“It was good to see Brendan [Rodgers]. I still remember how well he looked after me when I went over to England,” he said.
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“When I was away from my family at a young age, he made the extra effort. He’s a great man and a great manager to be working for.
“He was a huge factor in wanting to come to Celtic. He’s up there with the best coaches I’ve ever worked for and I’m glad I’ll get to play for him again.”
It was Rodgers who originally brought Hayes to England, in a switch which saw the player move from his boyhood club Cherry Orchard to Reading’s academy.
Hayes becomes Rodgers’ first summer signing as he looks to further strengthen his treble-winning squad.
The 29-year-old right-sided midfielder was one of Aberdeen’s top performers last term, providing 24 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions, as well as scoring 11 goals.
He arrived at Pittodrie in the summer of 2012 on a free from Inverness, and he went on to play 207 league and cup games for the club, which yielded 30 goals and 71 assists.
Hayes has been capped four times by the Republic of Ireland, but he was an unused substitute in their 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with Austria last week.
In other Celtic news, the fans have taken to Twitter to react after Hayes signing was confirmed.
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