Rovers return for Tierney
Whether he is shouting and singing with family and fans in the stand or playing on the pitch, recovering Tierney simply wants his boyhood team to just keep on winning
CELTIC defender Kieran Tierney has targeted a first-team return when Celtic commence their Scottish Cup campaign against Albion Rovers later this month.
The full-back has been absent since late October with ankle-ligament damage, but has flown to Dubai with the rest of Brendan Rodgers’ squad to participate in warm-weather training.
Barring any reactions, the 19-year-old expects to be in contention for a start when the club resumes competitive action at Airdrie’s Excelsior Stadium on January 22.
‘I am hoping to be back after the winter break,’ said Tierney. ‘I’ve been doing a lot out there — changing direction, sprinting. It’s just about time now.’
Having broken through under Ronny Deila last term, Tierney made his full international debut and starred in the Champions League for his club during 2016. He hopes the dawn of a new calendar year will bring fresh achievement.
‘Obviously the end to 2016 wasn’t the best, but the rest of the year was more than I could ever have hoped for,’ said Tierney.
‘Injuries happen in football, it’s about how you deal with it. There’s loads to look forward to in the year ahead.’
FOOTBALLERS, we are often told, make the worst kind of spectators. When a drop in form or, worse, serious injury forces a professional out of his match kit and into the stands, a combination of frustration and boredom can easily set in.
With their puffed up stadium jackets and sullen expressions, the outcasts are not hard to spot on match days, yet Kieran Tierney has been determined not to join the order of the disaffected at Celtic.
Floored by an ankle ligament injury as Brendan Rodgers’ side trained ahead of a league game at Pittodrie in October, Tierney resolved not only to recover quickly but to make the most of his rehab.
That’s meant a return to the rank and file and a seat among the paying punters on match days. However, the 19-year-old has revelled in the opportunity to shout and sing with friends and family as the team extended its significant lead at the top of the SPFL Premiership.
Tierney flew out with the rest of the squad for a warm-weather training camp in Dubai on Friday and expects to be in the mix for a jersey when the squad returns to Scotland to commence its assault on the Scottish Cup, the third leg of a potential treble.
Although his injury meant he missed out on the League Cup Final victory over Aberdeen in November, the full-back insists he has been happy to share in the fans’ joy from the sidelines.
‘I’ve loved it,’ he exclaimed. ‘Celtic are winning, so as long as that keeps happening I’m fine.
‘I don’t think I have missed a game since I have been injured. It’s just enjoyable, going with my friends and cousins to watch Celtic as a fan again. I’m just making the most of it while I can and being positive.’
As someone who has shunned dayglo sponsors’ gear in favour of plain black boots and continued to turn up and watch his local pub, team the Bullfrog, in action after breaking into the Celtic first team, Tierney was never in danger of losing touch with his roots.
Yet where once the teenager was just another enthusiastic young lad in the crowd, he now commands a certain level of celebrity.
‘I remember being at Fir Park and it must have taken me half an hour to get from here to that door with the number of pictures I was asked for,’ he says pointing to an exit a few metres away.
‘But that’s expected and you don’t mind it at all. I still go mad when we score. I am just trying to make the most of it and not be doom and gloom. I broke my leg not even two years ago and positivity is one of the main things. It’s about your mindset, trying to be strong about it.’
The key difference between this season’s tear and that previous break is that he knows a first-team shirt awaits him at the end of his recovery. Previously, there was the lingering fear that an extended spell of inactivity could prove the very end of his career prospects.
‘This is my first injury since my debut,’ he reflected. ‘If you told me I had to do my ligaments to play 55 games for Celtic, I would have done that, easy.
‘Another positive is that I’ve had time to think about what I have achieved. It does give you time to take a step back and think. It’s been good in that sense.
‘It was brilliant for me, it was a dream. Played 50 games, Champions
League — and I am claiming the goal against Manchester City! — called up for the international squad, so everything was going well. It happens in football, it’s just how you deal with it.’
Tierney’s absence has handed Emilio Izaguirre an opportunity to piece together a run in the Celtic team. The Honduran has performed solidly enough for Rodgers but, at 30, his play lacks the zip of his early days at the club.
By contrast, Tierney had found a galloping stride prior to his injury. Renowned for his tough tackling and determination during his breakthrough season under Ronny Deila, the teenager has been encouraged to expand his game since Rodgers’ arrival. While much attention has justifiably focused on the impact of key signings Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair, Tierney believes the former Liverpool manager’s diligent one-to-one coaching has helped raise the game of the crop of players he inherited from Deila. The rejuvenation of Stuart Armstrong has been the most spectacular success of Rodgers’ improvement work, but Tierney attests to some more subtle enhancements to his own game. ‘He’s been giving me tips and there are lots of aspects we’ve been working on,’ he continued. ‘My attacking game for a start — I’ve been more forward this season and I’ve been working on my dribbling, too. ‘People don’t see the hours those at the club have put in to get us where we are. The manager is first here in the morning and last away at night. He puts in a lot to set things up for us so we can just do our work on the pitch. He deserves a lot of credit.’ Training-ground improvement has given way to strength and
If you had told me I would have to do my ligaments in order to play 55 games for Celtic, I would have done that, easy
conditioning work for Tierney over the past few weeks and the club’s medical staff also took advantage of his lay-off to arrange keyhole surgery on an existing shoulder injury.
Now that he is back in the fold, Tierney’s team-mates can expect a few bumps in training as he road-tests the affected parts of his body.
‘I’m hoping to be back after the winter break,’ he added. ‘I’ve been doing a lot out there — changing direction, sprinting, it’s just about time now.
‘You just need to be yourself. If you go in with a fear of tackling it’s just not going to work. You just need to go in hard and get all your fears out the way. The same with my shoulder — I just need to go out and get a shoulder challenge in.’
Tierney’s performances in the Europa League attracted a clutch of scouts to Celtic Park last season and his progression to the Champions League stage this term only enhanced his burgeoning reputation.
The youngster starred in a 3-3 draw against Manchester City in Glasgow and while his ‘goal’ was credited as an own goal by Raheem Sterling, the Etihad club continue to monitor his progress. Further afield, Bayern Munich have also been taking notes.
Tierney is appreciative of the interest but, having signed a new five-year contract last summer, seems unlikely to have his head turned.
‘It’s flattering, because they’re some of the best teams in the world,’ he added. ‘But if you’re a youngster playing first-team games for Celtic and doing well, you will get noticed.
‘Obviously some people dream about playing in the Premier League, but I dreamed about playing for Celtic. It was always a Celtic strip I wore.’
Tierney may be vacating his seat but shows no inclination to take full leave of the Celtic support.
Another positive is I’ve had time to reflect on what I’ve achieved. Played 50 games, Champions League — and I am claiming that goal against City!