BRENDAN Rodgers was as saddened as the rest of the British footballing fraternity by the news last week that Everton winger Aaron Lennon had been sectioned under the mental health act after an apparent 20-minute stand off with police by the side of a busy road.

A first-team player with Leeds at the age of just 17, he hadn’t taken to the field since February, and it was a reminder that all the agents and multi-million wage packets in the world does not make the modern day footballer immune to depression and mental illness. In fact, perhaps the dangers are worse in these times where technology and social media intrudes into every area of their lives. It was a reminder to Rodgers of the duty of care which managers must have to every one of their players. And why his door will always be open.

“Getting inside players’ heads has always been a big part of management,” the Celtic manager said. “But it’s even more so now because of all the issues we have. Social media and modern technology has given us 100 per cent more information. But also 100 per cent more problems. And you have to deal with them.

“I always talk about human needs. Before he kicks a ball, can I understand the player? The BR on my shirt doesn’t mean anything, it’s about the human nature of a person. I can have lots of technical and tactical stuff for a player. But the most part is, what makes him tick? What are his strengths and what support does he need? It’s absolutely vital in a manager’s job now, the small details. You have to know a player’s background and you have to lift the burdens.”

For Rodgers, clear communication is the first step to healing the problem. These are not just words. For example, you need only look at how clearly defining roles and responsibilities for Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor have allowed both fringe men to suddenly become pivotal. Without such information, a player’s mind can run wild.

“It’s fairly common as a manager to sense when a player is maybe a bit down and you have to have a word with him,” the Northern Irishman said. “The one thing I’ve learned in football, which I got from a life experience, is that silence is a death sentence in itself. The ability to communicate is vital. It’s no use trying to second guess people.

“What I try to do is stabilise the emotion of a player, so they know exactly where they are at. So they don’t have to second guess me. I know when they get in the car, they’ll speak to their agent or their father who’s asking why they aren’t playing. I might not have spoken to them but their waves of emotion are going up and down. So I try to stabilise it. I tell them where they’re at, what they need to get better in and then organise a plan for them going forward. It might be a big talk but sometimes it’s just a small talk. Sometimes it’s a hug, a cuddle, a c’mon, whatever – depending on the character. That’s about knowing your player.”

The Northern Irishman may be the epitome of the modern manager but his principles are old school. One of his first acts upon arriving at Lennoxtown was to get three buzzwords – and their definitions – up on the wall.

“For me, it doesn’t matter if you’re the number one central midfielder or the guy who isn’t even in the squad,” he said. “Respect is the biggest thing. We’ve got three values hung up in the changing room which we created before we’d even kicked a ball here. Respect, unity and excellence.

“And respect is the biggest thing of all. In society now, it’s a challenge and a fight to get respect. It’s so difficult but you have to hang on to it. People can actually come up beside you now, talk in your face and take a video of you. Then they post it out there. That wouldn’t happen years ago. So our society is developing disrespectful people with no values. I wasn’t brought up like that. If I did that, I’d have got a slap in the head.

“Think of Brian Clough. He slapped two supporters around the head – and they came and apologised to him! Can you imagine that now? But you can never lose it. I’m a bit old school like that. I’m confident that if a player here had a problem they’d come to me, they’d feel comfortable. I’ve had it. I’d hope the players would tell you that as well. I never judge them professionally and personally.”

Armstrong and McGregor may be the poster boys, but Rodgers prefers to use the example of Efe Ambrose, his error-prone central defender who recently helped Hibs to the Championship title.

“One of the best relationships I had here was with Efe Ambrose and I never played him,” he said. “But I loved him. He treated me with respect and I made sure he trained with the group every day. We worked on what he could do better. He’d come into my office and thank me for the training, for helping him see the game differently.

“What a man. OK, he might not be for me. But he’s a good guy who’s served his time here. He’ll probably go and play somewhere else. He might not have been able to do it for me in my starting 11. But he’s got a family at home, a missus who’s just given birth to his child. He’s still a human being. When he’s 70 and he looks at me, hopefully he’ll say I did the best for him.”