It surprised many when Reo Hatate did not start Celtic's opening Scottish Premiership clash against Ross County.

The 25-year-old played crucial role in the Hoops winning a domestic treble last season and it was expected that the Japan international would be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

However, he was limited to a substitute appearance only against the Staggies as the Parkhead side ran out 4-2 winners on Flag Day.

Rodgers has now addressed his decision not to start the midfielder in the fixture, saying: "I’ve mentioned before, it’s not in my contract to play any player. Reo’s got three years left on his contract so there’s no rush.

"It’s a new cycle, a new manager and he has to prove himself. I’m not really worried about what’s said or not, I’ll play the team I see with the best energy, mentality and efficiency with how we want to work.

"There’s no doubt Reo is a talented player, but there’s other talented players in the squad.

"If players aren’t playing, I’ve been open and honest with them about where we’re at, how I prepare a team, when I tell them the team, and when they’re not playing how they’ve got to respond.

"Reo’s been really good in training. He didn’t play but he came into the game."

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Meanwhile, Alexandro Bernabei was reportedly dropped from the Celtic matchday squad after falling foul of the manager's demands at Celtic.

The Argentine left-back did not feature in the squad for the win over Ross County on the opening day of the new league season.

And the Daily Record report Bernabei was dropped after sleeping in and arriving late for a pre-match meeting in the build-up to the match last week.

It's claimed Rodgers left Bernabei out of the squad for the match after the incident.

The report suggests Rodgers left the player in no uncertain terms that the incident was unacceptable and cannot happen again.

While Bernabei missed the match against Ross County he could return to the squad against Aberdeen this weekend and try and put the blip in the past.

It's claimed Rodgers has reminded the playing squad of his sky-high standards and the demands in place at the club under his leadership.

There have reportedly been a "couple of minor incidents with players" since the summer with Rodgers informing the playing staff he won't stand for any unacceptable conduct.

Join Tony Haggerty and Aidan Macdonald as they discuss all this and more in the video below.