They raised a glass the first time they met. On Sunday they raised a cup of something more substantial.

Brendan Rodgers insisted it was never about him – but Celtic captain Scott Brown has dedicated the Betfred League Cup win to the Hoops manager.

Celtic’s 100th trophy was won in convincing fashion, a triumph that also marked the first piece of silverware of Rodgers’ managerial career as well as the inaugural trophy of his Celtic regime.

The Northern Irishman presented a calm and dispassionate public face in the build-up to the game, but his address to the Celtic supporters who gathered at the doors to the stadium on Sunday evening saw the mask slip a little.

There is a real affection for Celtic from Rodgers and a genuine sense of wishing to create a legacy at the club.

There have been immediate and obvious returns from the six months of his tenure – something that Brown as much as anyone has appreciated.

The Celtic skipper has been a revelation this season and has attributed much of his re-found energy and form to the influence of the manager.

“I think it was important for us that people can see that we are giving something back to him in terms of our performances,” said Brown. “He has come in and got the place buzzing and he has us as a team playing really good football so it was nice for us to give him a trophy.

“Everyone talks about a Treble but we have won one and we’ll just see where it goes from there.

“I think it is huge for the gaffer. Everyone can see the direction that we are going in. It is a wee marker from us.”

What set the tone for this season was the success in qualifying for the Uefa Champions League. The qualifying games are notoriously difficult and simply getting back into that environment was the first major return that Rodgers delivered.

The challenge now will be to build on that, to achieve the same again next season.

In that respect the January transfer window could take on extra significance for Celtic as Rodgers looks to bring in players who would then have the opportunity to bed in before those competitive games that come almost as soon as the players report back for pre-season training.

The appeal of Celtic Champions League group to television companies has meant that the club will be expected to rake in between £25m and £30m from this term’s participation, offering a financial stability that is vital to the club.

Reluctant to offer any insight into how that money could be spent, Brown nevertheless believes that Rodgers has already banked significant trust with the signings he made this summer.

“That is not up to me to make those decisions,” said Brown. “If the gaffer brings anyone over January then we would be delighted but you just never know. We will take it from there.

“What you would say is that the guys the gaffer brought in to the team have given us pace, they’ve brought legs to the team and we have real attacking options. We look like we are capable of scoring goals every time we go forward.

“We have a bit of menace about us and there are goals coming for all over the pitch so hopefully we have set the foundations for the manager to build on.

“He has brought confidence and pace and we are a really fit team.”

Moussa Dembele has been the obvious success for Celtic this season, with Scott Sinclair’s influence also a massive factor in establish such a dominant stranglehold on domestic football.

The 20-year-old French striker has caught the eye of Europe this season with the manner in which he has set the heather alight in Glasgow. Celtic’s challenge will lie on hanging onto the player for as long as possible but ultimately Dembele will net the club their biggest ever transfer return at some point – no mean feat given the cash that Celtic have taken from the Premiership in recent seasons.

For Brown, though, the priority is on hanging onto the forward for as long as possible.

“Moussa has been fantastic for us all season,” said Brown. “What a signing he has been for what, £500k? The club really done some business in getting him into the club and he has been excellent since he got off the mark here.

“He is a quiet lad but there is a confidence about him as well as a real work-rate. He is hungry and he wants to get better.

“It is always going to happen when players are doing so well, especially against the very teams in the Champions League. There are a lot of players in our team who have been catching the eye this season but the gaffer will want to keep everyone here.

"There is a lot of excitement about the club. We feel good as a team and we know that we are moving into exciting times."