Brendan Rodgers admits he was sad to learn of Michael Beale's dismissal at Rangers.

The Celtic manager has candidly opened up on his thoughts following the 43-year-old's sacking by the Ibrox club.

The Englishman left on Sunday night after he was removed from his position following a third defeat from seven Premiership games against Aberdeen on Saturday afternoon.

That result saw Rangers fall seven points behind Celtic in the league table after only two months of the 2023/24 campaign.

While Rodgers remains fully focused on Celtic's Champions League group stage match against Lazio tomorrow night, the Irishman was honest about his feelings on the matter.

"I'm always saddened when any manager loses their job, no matter what club they work at," Rodgers explained. "When you manage Celtic or Rangers, they're big pressure jobs. 

"I'm sure Michael will go away and reflect on his time here and no doubt he'll come back in again, he's an outstanding young coach and manager. He'll reflect on the pressure that he was under, and the expectation and the stress that this job can bring. 

"He'll learn from it and go on to get another job and make a success of it I'm pretty sure. 

"Whatever club, whoever it is, it's never nice when someone loses their position. I hope for the best for him in the future, of course."

READ MORE: Scott Brown pays tribute to Tom Rogic after retirement

Meanwhile, Celtic hero Scott Brown has paid tribute to Tom Rogic after the Australian announced his retirement from football.

The 30-year-old confirmed he was hanging up his boots as he opened up on personal issues.

Rogic revealed that he and his wife have endured a challenging journey with fertility issues in recent years and he now feels the time is right to concentrate on his family with a two-year-old already in his arms and twins on the way

The former Australian international enjoyed a hugely successful period in Glasgow that saw him win six league titles, five Scottish Cups and five League Cups.

He subsequently left the club in the summer of 2022 after Ange Postecoglou had taken over as manager. He would go on to sign for West Brom, but things just never worked out as well as his time at Parkhead.