Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has opened up on his admiration for Celtic's Australian coach Ange Postecoglou.
The duo were set for a showdown in Scotland last season only for Gerrard to depart Rangers for Villa as Postecoglou guided the Hoops to the league title in his first year.
The former Socceroos coach received plenty of praise for turning a struggling Celtic side around and will now test himself in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Gerrard is currently in Australia for the Queensland Champions Cup with Villa and was asked about Postecoglou this week.
While the ex-Rangers boss may not have liked seeing how the Aussie managed to dethrone his former side, Gerrard was quick to pay his respect for what Postecoglou managed to achieve in a short space of time.
"Ange did fantastically well. He came in with his own style. It took a little bit of time for him to implement that but once the players got used to that, they went on to win the league title and the League Cup as well, so it was a very successful season for him," Gerrard said.
"He’s someone who I’ve got a lot of respect for and a lot of admiration for, and he’s done ever so well, so credit to him.
“He’s obviously got big experience. He’s had a lot of success throughout his career, and he comes across as a very humble guy.
“Obviously I’m Rangers through and through. I want Rangers to do well. I’m sure he appreciates that, but from coach to coach he’s someone that I’ve got a lot of respect for."
Postecoglou confirms new Celtic signings imminent
After winning two titles last season with the Hoops, Postecoglou has made it clear he's expecting even more from the 2022-23 season.
Celtic have been relatively quiet in the transfer market to date, however, with permanent deals for Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota and Daizen Maeda the main highlights.
With club veterans Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic leaving the side, more reinforcements are needed and Postecoglou has flagged that they aren't too far away.
"We’re definitely going to add a couple of players," Postecoglou said via the Daily Record.
"We’re working hard on that and would expect to do it in the next seven days. We’ve had to be patient, that was more important than rushing.
“I’m confident we’re close to the end point in bringing in a couple that will help.”
While still waiting on reinforcements, the Hoops have enjoyed a solid pre-season to date and are yet to lose any of their four matches - scoring an impressive 16 goals in the process.
Celtic's most recent game ended in a 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
