When Celtic players were asked if they wanted a kickabout in a garden it was an offer they couldn’t refuse.
It wasn’t any old garden but the grounds at the mansion of diehard Hoops fan Rod Stewart.
Celtic kicked-off their pre-season training in England with a full training session at Rod’s £45m home outside London.
Celtic fanatic and Tartan Army stalwart Rod invited old pal Gordon Strachan to bring his squad to Epping Manor, the Tudor-style mansion he shares with fiancee Penny Lancaster.
The 50-room house is set in a 195-acre estate in Epping, Essex.
Originally built for former prime minister Lord Grenville it has 10 bedrooms, a wine bar, pool room, music room, and a humidity-controlled garage protecting Rod’s collection of classic sports cars.
And, most importantly of all for a soccer-mad millionaire with six children by four ex-wives and lovers, it has a full-sized football pitch.
But if the Celtic stars had any thoughts about taking it easy in their palatial surroundings, they got a rude awakening as boss Strachan put them through a tough workout.
The squad did a full training session on the well-groomed pitch, which is claimed to be even better than the club’s Barrowfield training ground.
Rod and the new Celtic manager have been pals since Strachan first broke into the Scotland team in the 1980s.
Strachan, who has played in Rod’s celebrity team at charity matches, bussed his players from their base at Bisham Abbey, and Rod watched from the sidelines as they went through the workout.
New signings such as Maciej Zurawski and Jeremie Aliadiere were introduced to the 60-year-old rock star, who was on top form and cracked jokes with the players.
It’s just as well the session took place during daylight hours as council bosses last year banned Rod from installing floodlights on the pitch, claiming it would be unsightly and harm the appearance of a conservation area.
And although he spends almost every day rubbing mixing with the rich and famous, Rod was thrilled the session was held on his own turf.
He paid £56,000 to charter a private jet to take him and Penny to cheer on Celtic in the Uefa Cup Final and is a regular at Parkhead, as well as all of Scotland’s games.
He has a full-size pitch at his home in Los Angeles, with a dressing room based on the one used by the home team at Parkhead, and his own Celtic social club.
Celtic are down south for a week and face Fulham in a friendly on Saturday.
