Iron Man Tierney won’t be getting a day off from boss any time soon
Brendan Rodgers reckons Kieran Tierney is the Iron Man of European football.
That’s why the Bhoys boss has no plans to hand his young talisman a day off.
Tierney has played 48 games for his club and five for his country this season, clocking up a Europe-leading total of 4608 minutes on the pitch.
His closest challenger is team-mate James Forrest, with Manchester City star Bernardo Silva hot on the Hoops pair’s heels.
Given Tierney’s tenderness of years, some managers might be tempted to hand him a well-earned break.
But Rodgers knows there’s no point – because the 20-year-old would spend it at Celtic Park.
“Iron man material – that’s what Kieran is,” said Rodgers.
“And there are boys like that. They don’t know what to do if you give them a rest.
“Some of the older ones, if you give them a breather for the weekend, they head off to London or Paris or wherever.
“Tierney would go to the Celtic game. He’d come in and stand in the corner.”
Tierney spent his teenage years battling injury. Having overcome them, he is determined to make up for lost time.
He is doing so with a phenomenal level of dedication, not to mention red-hot talent.
For those reasons, his manager believes he is at the stage where he no longer needs to be treated with kid gloves.
Rodgers said: ”It’s a delicate one in relation to getting him games and consistency and maturity.
“But also what I think is important in the modern game is pushing young players over the hill – actually letting them feel it a little bit when they suffer.
“So it’s not all: ‘Oh, you’re not feeling right? Then let’s cut it back.’
“They might be a bit stiff, so flush it out and get on with it.
“Kieran has this real in-built will and desire. “He’s had trauma in his life when he was a young guy and coming through and he got injured.
“He was never the best at that age. He was what I’d call the silver medallist, always fighting. Then bang, he’s in the first-team under Ronny Deila.
“He’s got a great mindset, though, a tough boy, and he’s unique because he’s not only quick but robust.
“Normally the boys who are really fast are prone to injuries with glutes and hamstrings, but he’s got mechanics which allow him to run at high speed and do it repetitively
“He trains like a beast, and he plays like one. I demand all players train like they play and he definitely does.”
Forrest – second in the European appearances table, and with 3593 minutes under his belt – is another whose approach in matches is replicated in training.
Like Tierney, he struggled with injury problems in the past.
These days, he bristles at their mention, and rightly so, according to Rodgers.
“The great thing with James is he’s getting better every day with his goals, his assists, his consistency,” he said.
“I can only judge on my time here and he’s virtually been available to me my entire time.
“Maybe we’ve had a couple of games when he hasn’t been, but no more than that.
“And that starts in training. He’s never had a day since I’ve been in here where he’ll throw it in.
“From me coming in, he’s been brilliant, and getting better and better – and he’s at a great age, and playing international games as well.
“He leads his life right. He doesn’t do stupid things, he looks after his body.”
Unsurprisingly, both Tierney and Forrest are worth starting places in Scotland’s upcoming friendlies, according to the Celtic boss.
But he reckons there are reasons to be optimistic throughout the squad, including in the Scott Brown-shaped hole left by the Celtic skipper’s retirement from the national side.
“There are great options for the Scotland team,” said Rodgers.
“Scott Mctominay coming in is absolutely huge. He’s a fantastic player.
“The way he plays, you think he’s played for 10-odd years with his maturity and the speed with which he gets the ball out of pressure. He’s got good presence, he’s very good.
“If you look at Scotland as a nation, everything you want is players with good technique. Tactically they are getting better, and physically you now have players with speed.
“There’s a great chance this time. A good group of players with energy. You can do it for sure.”