Kieran Tierney details the Celtic evolution that feels 'natural' as he names ex-Hoops boss as crucial to career arc
10.10.2023 - 16:35
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Kieran Tierney reckons he's evolved naturally in to a new way of playing that all stemmed from his start at Celtic.
The Real Sociedad loanee, who left parent club Arsenal in the summer in search of more game time, has got off to a solid start to life in San Sebastian but has had the all-too familiar feeling of being injured come crashing down once again. Tierney won't be fit for Steve Clarke's Scotland side to face the Spaniards in Seville, after going down with a knock in a La Liga clash last month. The 26-year-old was having a purple patch up to that point, after playing an understudy role in Mikel Arteta's side last season.
Tierney admits it's been a tough road but that he has a great level of gratitude to national boss Clarke, who made him a regular Scotland starter despite a lack of match practice. The Celtic hero has also named the boss who gave him his Parkhead debut, Ronny Deila, as influential to his career trajectory.
And the two go hand in hand, as Tierney reckons there's a natural evolution occurring in his career with the ability to play both as a traditional full back and as part of a central defensive unit. He told BBC Scotland: "I've been playing that role for four or five years at Scotland, maybe at the start it was more of a talking point but now we've had big results, it's not as much of a talking point being out of position.
"People just assume that's my position with 40 caps there now. It's not something I need to change the way I think, it's more natural because I have been doing it for so many years...it's more comfortable.
"Stages in my Arsenal career I played there, stages in my Celtic career I played in the back three as well, sometimes even a back four for Scotland. Something I'm more natural to
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