Former Celtic player and manager Davie Hay has said that current Parkhead star Kieran Tierney is good enough for the Premier League but is going nowhere as he looks set to become a legend at the club.
The 21-year-old has become a firm favourite for both club and country and his bright performances have led to much speculation over his future as a number of clubs are linked with his signing.
Comparing him to Liverpool defender and Scotland teammate Andy Robertson, Hay insists it is the Hoops man who has the edge but tips him to remain in Glasgow to become a club great.
He told the Evening Times: “Kieran Tierney just edges Andy Robertson for me in terms of the level both players are at just now.
“They are both excellent players. Defensively I think Tierney edges it while I also think he is more powerful.
“If you look at where Tierney is just now and how he is progressing, for me he will become as legendary a Celtic full-back as the greats such as Danny McGrain and Tommy Gemmell. And I don’t say that lightly.
“I think he is loving life at Celtic and certainly in terms of his immediate future, I just don’t see him going anywhere. But he is most certainly heading to being one of the really influential full-backs in the history of the club. He seems comfortable at any level. I think he is exceptional at left-back and decent at right-back.”
Opinion
Hay is obviously a huge fan of both Tierney and Robertson but stating that the Celtic man is a notch above the Liverpool man might be a bit fanciful. One is playing in Scotland’s top flight and the Europa League, while the other is fighting it out at the top of the Premier League and in the Champions League too. Obviously Tierney has not been tested to his full capabilities and anyone not of a Celtic disposition would probably like to see what he has to offer a team fighting it out on a more prestigious stage. However, Hay is absolutely right when he says that Tierney is loving life at Parkhead so a move away does not seem on the cards any time soon. The only thing that might be able to tempt him away is a move which offers not only much more money – a sad fact of modern day football – but to a top class team where he is almost guaranteed first team football on a regular basis. That second aspect is going to be the stumbling block for the defender and so the Hoops can be confident he is not heading anywhere any time soon.