Plastic pitch not to blame for injury, insists Tierney
● Defender on course to return for Celtic at Hamilton after missing Scotland ties
Kieran Tierney does not believe Livingston’s artificial pitch played any part in his withdrawal from the Scotland squad for their decisive Uefa Nations League fixtures and insists he has no fears about returning to action on a similar surface at Hamilton Accies tomorrow.
The Celtic full-back was one of nine players to drop out of the matches against Albania and Israel with Scotland manager Alex Mcleish, pictured, suggesting his hamstring problem was caused by the pitch at Livingston when the Scottish champions drew 0-0 there on 11 November.
But Tierney, who insists he was prepared to play for Scotland before medical staff ordered him to pull out, feels the injury was simply a consequence of an intense recent sequence of games for his club.
“It was disappointing what happened with Scotland,” said Tierney. “I was training there with the rest of the squad but the hamstring wasn’t the way it should be.
“I said to the management that I was ready to play but the medical people said I had to go for a scan on it. Ultimately it was their decision, along with Celtic’s. It was out of my hands.
“I don’t think it’s the kind of injury where playing on an artificial pitch would be an issue. I think it was a build up of the overload of all the games so far that caused it. I don’t think the one game on artificial made any difference but I don’t know. I’m available again to play at Hamilton, so it’s up to the club to decide if I’m fine.”
Tierney is keen to underline his commitment to the Scotland squad and was thrilled to see his international teammates win both matches to top their Nations League group and guarantee a place in the Euro 2020 play-offs.
“I wanted to play and everyone is in the same boat,” he added. “They were two massive games and I wanted to be a part of them. So I was gutted but I was delighted for the boys who got the job done. At the end of the day, that’s all that mattered. It’s great to have that play-off to look forward to. The boys dealt with different kinds of pressure in the two games.”
Tierney, 21, added his voice to the chorus of praise which has surrounding his Celtic team-mate James Forrest after the winger scored five goals in the victories against Albania and Israel.
“He was incredible and he deserves all the credit he is getting,” said Tierney. “Ever since I started playing and training with the Celtic first team, he is one of those players you don’t want to come up against. He can go inside, outside – no matter how good a defender you are, you’re going to get a tough time against James Forrest.
“The teams can get mixed up in training at Celtic but it’s always good to challenge yourself against him. He’s one of the best players I’ve come up against. There is no downside to his game – his first touch, workrate, effort and defending. He can do everything. He’s a great player to have in your team.”
Brendan Rodgers insists James Forrest would flourish in the Premier League but doesn’t believe there is any prospect of the Celtic winger developing itchy feet.
Former Parkhead playmaker Kris Commons claimed this week that Scotland’s Nations League hero Forrest is too inconsistent to be a success in the top flight of English football.
That notion was dismissed out of hand by Celtic manager Rodgers who expects the 27-year-old winger’s scintillating current form to attract attention from clubs south of the border.
Forrest recently signed a new contract with the Scottish champions, which runs until 2022, and Rodgers expects him to continue adding to an already impressive collection of winners’ medals with the club.
“There will be interest in James,” said Rodgers. “But it’s not as if he’s just popped up out of nowhere. James has been on the scene for a while now, played a lot of games and had big experiences.
“I’ve got no doubt, having worked in the Premier League, that he can play at that level. Absolutely 100 per cent, there would be no problems there.
“Some teams in the Premier League are playing just one game a week where you can recover and rest. So James would thrive, no question.
“But I’ve never, ever seen one glimmer of him wanting to be outside of Celtic. He’s just signed a new deal too.
“At the time when I first came to Celtic, there had been talk of him thinking about leaving. We had the chat there was a couple of things going on around him – but all he wanted was a bit of reassurance and a sense of feeling valued.
“There’s never been a notion that he’s anywhere happier than here. He’s obviously had a great couple of years and signed another deal. I think he’s one who strategically values
the worth of himself as a player and now people are really seeing that, not just with Celtic.
“Because of James’ personality and how he is, he just drifts along really. But he’s one of
these players who at the end of his career, people will look and say ‘bloody hell, look what he’s won and look how many games he’s played.’
“He could end up one of the most decorated Celtic players of all time. He’s already in the top ten in terms of trophies and he’s got more to win. He’s enjoying this moment and he’s so deserving of it because he’s a very underrated player for me.”
Forrest is no longer underrated by the Scotland supporters who relished his stunning contribution to the Nations League Group C1 triumph which guaranteed a Euro 2020 play-off place, following up his first two goals for his country in Saturday’s 4-0 win in Albania with the hat-trick in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Israel at Hampden.
“I was at the game on Tuesday and there was a really nice moment when all of the supporters cheered for James,” added Rodgers. “At first I heard it a little bit and I thought ‘there’s a pocket of Celtic supporters somewhere here.’ But then everyone started to sing and that was a really nice moment for him.
“You only need to look at the quality of his goals. International football is all about having that technique, that tactical idea plus speed and power – and he’s got all of that.
“He’s developed his game and he’s now coming into areas where he can score goals.
“Seeing him play when he was younger, he was an outand-out winger who’d go down the line and cross it. But now he’s inside more often, making runs off the ball and being dynamic. You’d do well to see three better finishes than the ones against Israel.
“His goals were out of the top drawer; they looked simple but the quality of his touch and the technical ability of his finishing was great. He also scored two excellent goals in Albania with his left foot.
“Listen, you’ve had some wonderful players up here in the past but now that he has his first international goals – and I was surprised that he hadn’t scored for Scotland before – he can really kick on.”
“I’ve got no doubt, having worked in the Premier League, that he can play at that level. Absolutely 100 per cent, there would be no problems there. But I’ve never, ever seen one glimmer of him wanting to be outside of Celtic”
BRENDAN RODGERS