Brendan Rodgers addresses midfielder's Celtic situation and why one player left out of Champions League squad

Bernardo was signed on a permanent deal from Benfica last term and the Portuguese made 44 appearances across all competitions. However, he has only featured for 15 minutes so far in the 2025/26 campaign, coming off the bench as substitute during the 4-1 Premier Sports Cup victory over Falkirk on Friday night.

Rodgers has six senior midfielders at his disposal - captain Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, new signing Benjamin Nygren, Arne Engels, Luke McCowan and Bernardo. And the manager admitted the Bernardo, 23, is a victim of how many strong option he has to choose from in that area of the pitch.

“It's a very competitive squad,” said Rodgers when asked about Bernardo’s situation. “He's one of a number of good players that we have in the area. And sometimes how it works in football, the ones that aren't playing, you get asked and then it switches about.

“But I think what we see in this early stage, especially when there's been one game a week, the team sort of stays pretty similar. I obviously changed it against Falkirk, knowing that we've got this game, knowing that we've got a game on Saturday and then a game on a Tuesday.

“So they're quite tight. So I needed to make sure some of those players that might play in those games are up to speed. But I think once you get them into Europe, you need every player. And Paolo's a very talented player. And he's one of a number of talented players in midfield.”

The Inamura Celtic situation

While Bernardo will hope to be involved in Wednesday night’s Champions League play-off first leg against Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park, one player who definitely won’t be involved is Japanese defender Hayato Inamura.

The 23-year-old, who can play left-back or centre-half, was signed from Albirex Niigata in his homeland last month. While Rodgers involved Inamura in some of the pre-season matches, the Northern Irishman does not believe he is ready for first-team action at Champions League level.

"Yeah, very easy,” was Rodgers’ response when asked to explain Inamura’s situation. “He's not quite at the level, as of yet, that I would expect.

“The plan for Ina was to come in and train and see where he was at, with the possibility of going out and loan, because he's only had a year's football. He came in as a centre-half/left-back, but his defensive qualities aren't at the level that would see me put him in against Lamal Yamine if I had to. So it's as simple as that.

“So that's why he's not involved. He's played in some really good games, against Cork and Queen's Park, but the reality is that's the level that we play - you get 80 per cent of the ball and you've got the ball, but we also make a player that can defend. And we're hoping that over the couple of years, with experience and with maybe a loan, that that can take place.

“But at this very, very moment, that's why he's not in the squad. It's as simple as that.”

Rodgers reported that he has a full squad to choose from for the visit of Kairat Almaty, who defeated Slovan Bratislava on penalty kicks in the last qualifying round.