Efe Ambrose has paid a warm tribute to father figure Brendan Rodgers, who dropped him from the Celtic first-team squad at the start of the season, after being named the Championship’s player of the month.
And Neil Lennon, who took the much vilified player on loan, described the now Hibernian defender as one of the best players the Edinburgh club has had for years.
Ambrose was taken out of the firing line for his own good by Rodgers in August after being booed by some Celtic supporters in Dublin after scoring an own goal in a friendly match against Barcelona.
The 28-year-old Nigerian has reinvented himself since moving to Easter Road in February and thanked Rodgers for helping him in his darkest hour.
Ambrose said: “I want to say a thank you to Celtic and Brendan Rodgers because, without me playing, he still stood beside me, helped and encouraged me. Coming to Hibs was just to get game-time and he always wanted me to play.
“He (Rodgers) didn’t ignore me when I wasn’t playing. He’s a great man, a father and a friend to everyone. He treats everyone as family and everyone as equal.
“Just because you’re not playing in the team you can still do well. It’s not just the players playing in the team that really matters, it’s the squad that really matters to him. Everybody has to come together for the team.
“If you need help, he’s there to listen to you. He’s always there to help, he’s always there to teach you and to correct you. For me, he has been a very great man and a great help to me in my career.
“For the few games I played, and when I wasn’t playing, I learned so much from him and the coaches.
“And by coming here to Hibs,I have been delighted to show what I can do and what I have learned. The best way to show that is to play games, which I couldn’t get at Celtic but I can get here.”
Ambrose has been terrific since his move and on Saturday could help Hibs to win the Championship if they beat Queen of the South and Falkirk fail to win over St Mirren.
Lennon, who signed Ambrose for Celtic in 2012, has been delighted to see a player he loves recover from being the most criticised in the country.
Lennon said: “I think he is probably one of the best players Hibs have seen here for quite a considerable time. I think the Hibs fans appreciate the quality of player he is.
“I am glad he has been able to showcase the talent that we all knew he had.
“Efe has been through the ringer. Sometimes, players at a club can be made a scapegoat and Efe certainly came under that bracket, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad player.
“It’s no disgrace not to get into that Celtic team at the moment. They are setting the bar really high. He has come in to Hibs and done exactly what I thought he would do.”
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