'Great' Celtic player told he has huge future under new manager despite fitness fears and sore heels
Scotland defender tipped to get over injury issues
Martin O’Neill believes Kieran Tierney can become a key player for Celtic again - and admitted that the Scotland internationalist is still struggling to get over fitness issues.
Tierney rejoined Celtic last summer after six years with Arsenal in the English Premier League. However, the 28-year-old’s season so far has been blighted by niggling injuries and fitness concerns, the latest being an issue with his big toenail.
The left-sided defender scored a crucial goal for Scotland last month to help the national team qualify for the World Cup and O’Neill hopes such a moment will help him kick on in Celtic colours.
"Kieran's toe is getting better each day,” said O’Neill. “He had the toenail removed on his big toe. It looked really ugly. He had some injections before the Hibs game.
“I think physically he is still trying to come to terms with the player that left Celtic. That's been difficult for him in many aspects because when he was at Arsenal, it looked like he was breaking down every third or fourth week.
“He couldn't get a run of games and while I haven't spoken to him precisely, I know myself sometimes you go on to the pitch when you feel you've done all the preparation in the world, you're first game back after four or five weeks, and any sort ache and pain and you think 'is this coming back again?' All of that is in his mind.
“He's definitely getting physically fitter and I think eventually it would be just a run of consecutive games where he completes the game. I think in his mind, that would be great.”
‘He’s a great player’
Asked if Tierney has to also overcome a mental block with injuries because of his past, O’Neill continued: "That would be unfair of me to say not having spoken to him about that particular thing. And primarily in my short term here, I maybe would have had that more serious conversation with him if we'd not had [Marcelo] Saracchi - he's a lad - in the background, who can do a really good job for you.
“For Kieran, would it be nice for him to get back to the player that was so was graceful and so brilliant ...? The goal he scored for Scotland will give him a big. big lift, and there's lots of matches. So it's maybe a case of treading carefully with him now until the new year.
“He's a great player - he wouldn't have got that move to Arsenal had he not been. So it's just this combination of injuries that seems to keep cropping up. Suddenly you think you are getting a fair wind at something and something else will happen again. It's all of those particular things.
“He's got sore heels as well. The heels become a problem. They warm up, he's fine for a period of time and then they start to get really sore again. It's unfortunate for him, but I'm hopeful he'll come through it.
Asked if he thinks Tierney can push on next year, O’Neill was affirmative. "I personally think he can,” he added.
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