Martin O'Neill and Scott Brown were talking about Kieran Tierney from different angles, but they landed in the same place. Brown brushed off the Spanish noise, saying, "Kieran's going nowhere, he loves the football club." O'Neill, meanwhile, has already started talking about cover because Tierney will not get through every game. The reason Celtic are treating him as central is obvious enough: he is producing again.

The output Celtic are getting

Tierney registered 12 assists last season, the most of any Celtic player, and he also scored six goals from defence. Those are not normal full-back numbers. Against Dundee, he created four chances and sent in eight crosses, both team highs. Add in his 12 big chances created last season, and the picture is of a player driving attacks, not just supporting them.

That was also the read from BBC Scotland chief sports writer Tom English, who said: "He looked like old Kieran Tierney, he was bombing forward, getting in the box, had a couple shots on goal, doing all his defensive stuff, he was excellent." That is a fair summary of why Celtic are comfortable with the interest around him. Reports have suggested Osasuna have enquired, but Brown's view was blunt and the football evidence backs him up.

The load Celtic still have to manage

There is still a practical issue for Celtic. Marcelo Sarrachi has returned to Boca Juniors, leaving them without another senior left-back. O'Neill said the club are looking to bring in cover because Tierney cannot be asked to do everything.

The minutes profile tells the same story. Only three full-backs across the league played more minutes than Tierney, yet he completed the full 90 only 10 times in the league. That does not weaken the case for him, it just shows why Celtic need a backup plan if they want the same level over a long season. For now, though, the key point is that Tierney is giving them elite end product and enough all-round work to keep the left side of the team moving.

With Benjamin Nygren among the names around the squad, Celtic can spread some of the creative load, but Tierney is still the reference point. If he keeps producing like this, the noise about Spain will stay secondary to the one thing Celtic care about most, which is what he does on the pitch.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →