Brendan Rodgers an ideal upgrade for England if Southgate goes

Leicester manager could be the missing ingredient needed to take England to the next level and win a major trophy, should Gareth Southgate choose to leave

UPGRADE: Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers. Pic: PA

Brendan Rodgers has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time. As Gareth Southgate ponders and the Football Association plans, Rodgers is the most viable alternative. Southgate acolytes will not like the sentiment, but he would be an upgrade.

In May 2016, seven months after being jettisoned by Liverpool, Rodgers was the ideal man to reboot Celtic after the stagnation overseen by Ronny Deila. Thousands greeted Rodgers upon his arrival. Rodgers ticked off “the Celtic thing” – not everybody gets that chance – with rose petals tossed at his feet while rediscovering his managerial mojo away from the competitive ferocity of the Premier League. Plenty will shrug at achievements in Scotland but the undeniable fact is Rodgers raised standards and positively altered the careers of umpteen players. Rodgers was great for Celtic and Celtic was great for Rodgers.