Former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has hit out at suggestions that he fell out with Raheem Sterling when the pair were at Anfield together.
The 21-year-old left the Reds in acrimonious circumstances to join Manchester City in July 2015 and, just months later, Rodgers was sacked.
But, despite reports to the contrary, the now-Celtic manager insists that the pair always enjoyed a solid relationship.
"I never had issues with Raheem," Rodgers told the Daily Mail.
"Yes, there was that moment where we made a point to him early on, but that was it really. He had a personality but he could accept that and hopefully if you speak to him he would say we had a really close relationship.
"A lot of things that were being said when he left were naughty really.
"There were people trying to create the move, things being instigated that were not right and the final straw was that he had fallen out with the manager."
Sterling and Rodgers are set to be reunited when Man City head to Celtic Park in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The England international has been in fine form for City since Pep Guardiola took over during the summer, and Rodgers believes that the attacker is now back to the level he was when he left Liverpool.
"He is back to where he was at with me," Rodgers said.
"I am not saying that in any other way than his level. He's drifted for the last wee bit of time since he left Liverpool.
"He's back now playing as the player that he is. You can see he's being coached and he's playing to what his strengths are."