World Cup: Tierney to wear gum shield in Auld Enemy clash after injury.

Celtic star boosts Strachan’s men

Scotland defender Kieran Tierney will today be fitted with a gum shield to give him a fighting chance of facing England.

The Celtic star was left with a broken jaw and teeth sticking through the palette of his mouth after being smashed in the face by the arm of Aberdeen striker Jayden Stockley in the Scottish Cup final last month.

He was rushed to hospital as the match raged on at Hampden but Tierney returned to pick up his winner’s medal after the Hoops’ dramatic victory over the Dons and is set to head back to the National Stadium on Saturday for the World Cup qualifying Group F must-win clash against the Auld Enemy.

Tierney, who celebrated his 20th birthday yesterday, has had the protective mouthpiece specially made for him and he will wear it in fullcontact training with the rest of the Scots squad at their Mar Hall training base this morning.

Strachan said: “Kieran has seen a specialist and will get a gum shield. He is getting it made at the moment and will wear it in training.”

“The specialist told him that once the gum shield is in he is fine. He did the start of the training and we kept him out of any contact stuff,” said Strachan.

“Then he went away and did his own thing. I would imagine that once the game is out of the way he will have plenty of time to recover but, being the way I am, I am kind of selfishly only thinking about this game.”

Strachan was asked if Tierney will feel any discomfort wearing the shield but he seems satisfied that the treatment the player got in the immediate aftermath of the injury has helped on that score.

He said: “No, he won’t (be in pain) because the work that was done immediately has meant he is all right.

“A specialist at the game took him away and looked after him. It’s not common what happened to him.

“I have seen incidents occur where players ended up with missing teeth but this was quite tricky. It was good the surgeon was right there to look after him right away. He doesn’t look as if he’s in any pain. He is jogging about and laughing and joking with the rest of them.”

That all points to Tierney playing against the English, although he may switch to the right of the defence to accommodate former Dundee United defender Andrew Robertson.

Strachan said: “He (Tierney) makes us stronger that’s for sure.”

Tierney’s Celtic team-mate Leigh Griffiths, meanwhile, sat out training yesterday because of illness but the manager was confident he will get well soon.

Strachan, who was also without Darren Fletcher as he played in Sunday’s Michael Carrick testimonial game, said: “Griff is not at his best.

“He is feeling a wee bit under the weather so we just kept him out of the way. Actually, that was perfect.

“He could have trained at a push but if he had turned up it would have spoiled my numbers for training and what I was wanting to do.

“So I told him just to stay in his room and he will be back tomorrow.

“If there had been a game he could have played.”

Tierney and Griffiths are two of six Celtic players in the squad. Skipper Scott Brown, Stuart Armstrong, James Forrest and Craig Gordon are also still basking in the glow of a historic Hoops treble and on the back of a domestic season in which they went unbeaten.

Strachan admitted it would be folly not to tap into their collective confidence.

He said: “It would be stupid of me not to use that enthusiasm and that run of games that they are on, the pride they have got in themselves.”

Kieran Tierney during a training session at Mar Hall yesterday.