Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Kieran Tierney is seriously struggling with the pain his injury layoff is causing him in a worrying update on the defender’s status.
The left back has been out of action after playing 31 games for the Bhoys this season, a hip injury sidelining him since the start of December.
With Emilio Izaguirre filling the 21-year-old’s space in the starting XI, Rodgers has made the concerning admission that Tierney still does not have a guaranteed return date – with an early February comeback the earliest he will be back – as he struggles to overcome the discomfort caused.
He told the Daily Record: “He’s a wonderful talent and a great kid to work with. You know when he is in pain and he really is in pain. He’s a real throwback.
“You could see in training he was pushing and giving everything but he wasn’t quite right.
“One of his great strengths is his physicality and his power and running ability and when that’s affected it takes away a big part of his game. But we hope he is back soon. Hopefully it will be soon because he is a player we miss. He is a player of real quality and we miss him when he is not available.”
Opinion
Not exactly the sort of update that the Parkhead faithful wanted to hear over their star man, for there is still no clear-cut return date. While having him missing from the starting XI is a blow in itself, it is almost as bad not knowing when he is going to be back in among the action. He really is one of the club’s best and most important players and the longer that Rodgers is forced to play with Emilio Izaguirre on the left the less confident the supporters will be of retaining their Premiership title. The Honduran is a bang average player nowadays and certainly does not have the same quality or impact that Tierney brings to the side. The sooner the Scottish star is back, the better. It is just a shame no one seems to know exactly that might be but fans can be sure that the club and the player are doing everything they can for it to be as soon as possible.