Kieran Tierney has backed his Celtic and Scotland team-mate Leigh Griffiths to shine for the club next season.
Griffiths gave a scintillating display for Scotland as they drew 2-2 with England in their World Cup qualifier at Hampden on Saturday night, with the imposing centre-forward scoring two brilliant free-kicks.
The 26-year-old completed another prolific goalscoring season at Parkhead during the 2016-17 treble-winning campaign, scoring 18 times from 38 appearances in all competitions.
But the Scotland international largely had to settle for a backup role to premier goalscorer Moussa Dembele, with Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers regularly challenging him to improve his fitness and attitude.
However, Celtic full-back and team-mate Tierney believes Griffiths will relish the competition with Dembele at the club next season, and backed him to lead the Scottish giants to further glory, both in Scotland and in Europe.
He told the Evening Times: “They have both shown their class. I am sure that they will be spurring one another on. The good thing for Leigh is that he will come back to us at Celtic with his confidence sky high.
“We have these Champions League qualifiers as soon as we return and it can only be a good thing for Celtic that we will have Leigh back with the bit between his teeth because those are goals of the highest calibre.
“It will have done his confidence no harm at all to score goals like that against a top class keeper.”
Celtic must first ensure their safe passage through up to three rounds of qualifiers this summer before booking their place in the Champions League group-stage next season.
Griffiths remains under contract at Parkhead until the end of the 2020-21 season, but there has been recent talk in the media of the striker quitting the club this summer.
The Daily Record claimed on Sunday that Premier League duo Newcastle United and West Brom were considering a move for the Griffiths this summer, and that he could be available for just £6million.
However, Tierney’s backing of the striker ahead of next season suggests that the defender is under no illusions that Griffiths will remain a Celtic player this summer, subtly rubbishing talk of a move to the Premier League.