Brendan Rodgers, the Barcelona addict who tried to sign Thiago Alcantara

Brendan Rodgers, the Barcelona addict who tried to sign Thiago Alcantara

Luis Enrique spoke of his admiration for Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers on Tuesday morning, saying the coach came to the Catalan capital to watch the club’s youth teams.

Asked about it by Sport English later in the day, Rodgers explained: “I’ve been coming for a number of years. I’ve always been a great lover of Barcelona and the structure of the club. 

"The time I think Luis is referring to, I travelled out with my son, he was coming out for his 13th birthday. He is now 23!

“Nolito was playing in the youth team, [Jonathan] Soriano, the midfielder who signed for Bayern [Thiago Alcantara]. I had hoped to try and get him to sign for Liverpool. It’s understandable he signed for Bayern.

“I’ve watched them over many years and I'm a lover of how the club operates and the values they have.”