Craig Gordon has explained how he won over Brendan Rodgers.
The arrival of Dorus de Vries in August looked an ominous sign for the hoops keeper with his manager making comparisons between his new keeper and Luis Suarez.
After Celtic clinched their place in the group phase of the Champions League de Vries was brought in and started the matches against Aberdeen, Sevco and Barcelona.
With his contract up at the end of this season it could have been the beginning of the end for the former Sunderland keeper but Gordon was in no mood to let his career peter out.
During a home match with Kilmarnock he replaced de Vries at half-time, retained his place for the Champions League match with Manchester City and has barely looked back since.
“It’s never nice to be out of the team because that’s one position managers don’t chop and change,” he told the Daily Record.
“I did the one thing I could do and that is to work and be ready if the chance came. I did my homework and studied what he wanted me to do so I would be able to carry it out.
“I stayed back after training. It wasn’t for an hour because you will get injured if you kick balls for that long. I practised long and short kicking, clipped passes, a range of passing styles.
“There’s more to it now and while I know I’m not perfect, I’ll continue to work hard to improve.”
Celtic have a one year option on Gordon’s contract but it’s likely that a new contract will be discussed during Celtic’s break in Dubai next month.
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