Scottish Premiership giants, Celtic, have been absolutely impeccable in the domestic competitions for quite some time now. Under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers, the Glasgow giants clinched the domestic treble last season and have started the 2017-18 campaign in a stupendous manner as they have collected 30 points from 12 games. They are placed at the top of the league table and it goes without saying that they have been marauding forward in the right direction.
One of the players to have become a household name in the process of Celtic’s domination is Kieran Tierney. Having emerged through the youth ranks of the Hoops, Tierney paved his way to their senior side when Ronny Deila was the manager of the club. After the entry of Rodgers, the development of the Scottish prodigy hit new heights as he made full use of the opportunities that was handed to him. He hit the right chords and made the left-back position his very own by dislocating Emilio Izaguirre.
A modern-day fullback with immense grit and composure, Tierney ticks a lot of boxes of a dazzling left-back and no wonder his stocks are so highly rated. He knits a fine balance between his offensive endeavours and defensive resilience and has, more often than not, shown immense confidence and composure whilst discharging his duties.
The Scotland international dishes out juicy crosses, always look to chalk something in the final third, makes shrewd tackles and interceptions and looks to score goals as well.
In one of the recent reports put forth by The Daily Star, it was stated that Premier League outfit, Tottenham Hotspur, are interested in prising him out of the Celtic Park, thus joining the queue of Tierney’s admirers which already comprises of other top clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal. However, former Celtic centre-back, Virgil van Dijk, has expressed that the 20-year-old should not rush to any conclusion and should rather continue his progress at Celtic for the time being.
The Southampton defender said: “He’s (Tierney) been doing very well and I think Celtic are very smart to tie him down for the next six years. It’s good to see him as the captain as well. I can remember that day he made his debut at Dundee. Since then he has been progressing every game. I don’t even know if he wants to go to the Premier League. Celtic is an amazing club for him as well and I don’t think there is any rush for him to leave.”
Dijk’s statements does make a lot of sense, for the level of the English Premier League is much higher than that of the Scottish Premiership and Tierney should brush himself further before leaving the Bhoys for venturing into more lucrative territories. Any wrong step might derail his career and it would be important for him to keep his development process in motion, keep doing the basics right and see where the tides of time take him in future.
