I FEARED FOR MY CELTIC FUTURE

He is the best Scottish player of his generation, is being scouted by half of the English Premier League and has just signed a new six-year deal, but at 14 years old Kieran Tierney thought his Parkhead career was over before it even began

THERE’S a golden piece of f ootage featuring a group of Celtic kids perched on t he home bench at Parkhead who are utterly hypnotised by the mere presence of Shunsuke Nakamura.

Shot nine years ago, it has been watched tens of thousands of times since because it ends with the great Japanese picking out one smiling face in the crowd and handing him his boots for being the best player at training that day.

Kieran Tierney’s grin is instantly recognisable and i t serves to remind you that all heroes needed heroes of their own at one stage.

But anyone assuming the player who subsequently had 17 English Premier League clubs on his trail on Tuesday night simply rocketed to stardom from that moment on would be mistaken.

Although deemed good enough to have his talents hot-housed at St Ninian’s Secondary soon after, Tierney had doubts, serious doubts, if it was ever going to happen for him at Celtic Park.

‘There was a time when I wasn’t getting a game,’ he reflected. ‘At 14 or 15, we went to the school that Celtic sent you to.

‘ It was at that stage when Scotland starts coming about, but I never got picked for Scotland. A lot of times when you’re not in the Scotland squad, you’re not really playing club football, either. Times like that were very hard.’

A lack of security did not help this sinking feeling. As hard as it is now to fathom, Celtic’s commitment to Tierney in those days fell some way short of being cast iron.

‘It was getting near the end of the school term and a lot of the players had heard about their contracts,’ he explained. ‘Myself and Aaron Comrie, who I will hopefully be playing against on Saturday (with St Johnstone), neither of us heard anything till very, very late on.

‘We got a deal in the end, but the others got a longer-term deal. They got three-year deals at the start and we got one year.

‘At times like that, you are looking at other options, whether it is to go away working or trying to find another team. So youth football wasn’t all plain sailing for me.’

In such circumstances, there are but two options. Disappear into the shadows. Or come out swinging.

‘It made me work harder than ever,’ explained Tierney. ‘I was more hungry to get a new deal with Celtic, to try to get on the same deal as my team-mates and try to get game time.

‘A few times, both of us had to step down and play with the younger ones just to get game time. We really worked hard and broke our way in eventually.’

To this day, he is not entirely sure why the feelings toward him were lukewarm. Modesty prevents him from saying so, but it can’t have been a lack of ability. His best guess is that a lack of physicality was held against him.

‘It happens to an awful lot (of players),’ he mused. ‘Especially at that age, if you are not growing fast like the other guys who play your position.

‘People grow between 14 and 16 at different rates and it does seem to be the bigger, more physical players who are in the team.

‘It is not always right, but I just knew I had to work hard. That is why I am so grateful for my family because it’s times like that when you really need them and they were great.

‘ I was doing gym work and football training, but it was the way I was doing it. I was making sure I was trying to run more than anyone else and be the best I could be. But, at that age, there is only a certain amount that you can do otherwise you get wee injuries.’

Had Tierney slipped through their net, Celtic would never have forgiven themselves.

Within minutes of making his debut at Dens Park as a 17-year-old, his pedigree was clear for all to see.

The narrative has long since shifted from the joy of seeing a homespun talent nail down a place in the side. Quite simply, he is the best Scottish player of his generation.

Determined to stay at Celtic for the foreseeable future, his bond with the fans he has frequently stood beside is infrangible. In that sense, Brendan Rodgers views him as being similar to the late, l amented Tommy Burns.

‘ That is special because I know how special Tommy is to the club,’ said Tierney.

‘ It wouldn’t be what it is today wi t h o u t h i m. Fo r me to be mentioned i n the same sentence as the gaffer said is great. But

At 14 or 15, I almost didn’t get a contract. It wasn’t all plain sailing

i’ve got a very, very long way to go to even get near what Tommy did for this club.’

Tierney s peaks well and sincerely and you have no reason to doubt a word of it. Certainly not when he is so unmoved by the trappings of success.

Upon signing a bumper deal a year ago, the extent of his largesse was to buy his parents a house. it came with one condition.

‘i still live at home with them,’ he laughed. ‘i’ll be there for a few years yet. i can’t do anything for myself!

‘We still live in Motherwell, a couple of minutes from where we lived before.

‘it keeps me grounded in some ways, living under the same roof as my mum and dad. They are still in charge. My mum still says i leave my dishes in the room or don’t bring my washing down. it’s just always been like that. nothing has changed with my family. it’s all good.’

in Tierney’s case, that’s a major understatement. Against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, the magnificent Arjen Robben, a figure the young Celt had only previously encountered on his games console, knew he’d been in a serious personal joust.

‘We didn’t win, so you can’t be too happy,’ said Tierney. ‘i tried to make it hard for him, get close to him and i gave it my best.

‘you learn a lot in these games. it is hard to keep up to their tempo because they (Bayern) are playing at that tempo every week. For years they have been playing like that and, for me being so young, to play against the top players will benefit me.’

Already assured of his place in Celtic folklore as part of last season’s invincibles side, the significance of tomorrow’s trip to perth is not lost on him.

Avoid defeat and Rodgers’ men will go 63 domestic games unbeaten and break the 100- year- old British r ecord held by Willie Maley’s Celtic side.

A young man who once feared his size might hold him back will never tire of such lofty achievements.

‘We didn’t know too much about the record a couple of games ago,’ said Tierney. ‘But it is being spoken about now. We are not going in to beat the record, we are going in to play our game and hopefully get the result.’