Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he is worried Olivier Ntcham could leave the club in future as well.

He explained that Ntcham is close to Moussa Dembele and the Frenchman’s departure could have set a poor precedent.

Rodgers also revealed that he has already spoken to the young midfielder about it.

He said: “We told him that at some point he will probably go as well, but it’s important that he becomes the best player he can be. Oli still felt there was improvements to make and it’s great that we have tied him down. You’re always a wee bit worried that when someone like Moussa Dembele leaves, Ntcham — who is close to him — might think about leaving too. Moussa was someone I spoke to during the process of bringing Oli here because he was able to tell him everything that was happening at Celtic. So when he lost his mate, there might have been an initial bit of flatness, which is natural.”

Ntcham has been quite impressive for Celtic so far and if he continues to develop at this pace, he will be a target for other European clubs.

It would be hardly surprising if he wanted to leave for a better team in the future.

For now, Rodgers is committed to working with the player and developing him. The Celtic boss wants Ntcham to be the best player he can be.

When the time comes in future, Celtic will have to prepare for his departure better. The Scottish giants could have handled the Dembele exit better. They failed to bring in proper replacements at the time.