Jonny Hayes: 30 seconds with Rodgers and I was convinced

Jonny Hayes admits it took Brendan Rodgers just 30 seconds to sell him on the “complete package” on offer at Celtic.

The Irish winger sealed his £1.3million switch from Aberdeen over the weekend and is now eyeing up a first taste of Champions League action.

Hayes also had offers from south of the border from the likes of Cardiff on the table as he weighed up his Parkhead move.

But the winger revealed it took only a few words from Rodgers – who he previously worked with during his days as a teenage trainee at Reading – to convince him to stay in Scotland.

He said: “As soon as Aberdeen gave Celtic permission, I spoke to Brendan and within 30 seconds I knew I wanted to come.

“I knew there might be a chance I was going down to England. My agent Barry Hughes had set a few things up for me and I could have gone.

“But as soon as Celtic became involved it was the only place I wanted to come.

“My heart was set on Celtic from the minute I spoke to the manager. He’s infectious. I’d been waiting all day for the phone call. It was about six or seven at night when he finally called, I don’t think I’d spoken a word in that first 30 seconds other than ‘hello’ and I was sold.

“He’s fantastic to work for. It’s a long time since I worked with him at Reading but there are a lot of other major factors in me wanting to come here. There’s the size of the club, the chance to play out there in front of 55,000 every week, the chance to play in the Champions League.

“So many things that when you put it together, you realise it’s the complete package.”