Brendan Rodgers has stressed that he will look to trim the current Hoops squad – since he believes it is impossible to properly work with too many players.

There are more than 30 first-team players at the club at the minute, but Rodgers will look to cut that to around 22 or 23.

“I know what I ideally need to work with,” he said. “Obviously not all the players are back at this moment, a majority of them are back.

“Certainly I know what I want to work with and everyone would agree, and people within the club agree, that so hence the idea of having to cut it whilst also assessing the players.”

However, while there are players who will be moving on, Rodgers was careful to stress he has every respect for their achievements at the club.

“I’ve come in and I’ve worked with the players and I think they have been very good in the first couple of days,” he said. “I have to respect them because they are the champions and they showed that last year.”

And he has insisted that he doesn’t need to sell before he can buy.

“No,” he said. “That’s not the case. It’s just out of a way of working. I work with a small group of players but I have to respect that there are players out of contract. That process started a few weeks back and that will continue. I have a way I want to work but it takes time.”