Brendan Rodogers has revealed that his spell as Liverpool manager became ‘draining’.
Rodgers guided the Reds to within two points of the Premier League title in a second full season at the helm before being sacked just 17 months later.
The 44-year-old returned to management with Celtic in summer 2016 and guided the club to a domestic treble during his debut campaign in charge.
But speaking at a fundraising event for the Northern Ireland hospice, Rodgers admitted he had to rediscover managerial intensity after a difficult end to his Anfield tenure.
He said: “When I came out of Liverpool I needed a break.
“It was so intense. It was draining. We moved to London just to come away from it.
“I had offers from England and a couple from China, where the money is very good, and that’s tempting for a boy from Northern Ireland.
“But I had come out of one of the biggest institutions in the world and I had to find that pressure again. I’ve got that now.
“With Liverpool you can go away from home and draw and that’s OK. But Celtic, you have to win every game. It’s a different pressure.
“I came as close as anyone there to the holy grail of winning the league.
“That season, with the fans, it was special.”