‘Unfair’ – John Hartson not happy at speculation surrounding in-demand Celtic star
John Hartson has described the constant speculation surrounding Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney as ‘unfair’ to the player.
The 20-year-old, who was a mainstay of the Hoops side with 55 appearances last season, has been linked with plenty of clubs in the last year.
The latest being Atletico Madrid, as BBC Sport reported that the Spanish side were set to watch the player in the Scottish Cup Final.
Hartson, writing in his column in the Evening Times, isn’t happy about the speculation.
“At this moment in time I think it is a little bit unfair on the boy to be constantly asked about his future” he said.
“He is clearly settled, is clearly developing and improving every season and the fact that clubs are falling over themselves to watch him would tell you that he is doing something right.”
He then complimented Tierney on not letting the rumours distract his game so far.
“He is still only 20. There is a long road ahead for him so the best thing he can do is keep his head down and keep working and to be fair to him that is what he has managed to do, despite all the talk that seems to go on round about him all the time.”
Football Insider verdict
Hartson is correct, as all the speculation isn’t really fair on such a young player who has only been a first-team regular for three years, but as long as Tierney keeps turning in stellar performances the speculation will continue. The left-back really is something special, which was shown when he became the first player ever to be named as Scotland’s young player of the year for three seasons in a row. At the moment he seems settled in Glasgow, and as he is under a long-term contract there is no need for the Hoops to sell him any time soon. But perhaps an offer one day will come in that the Hoops board can’t turn down, or Tierney himself might fancy change after playing in Scotland for so many years. Those things will be dealt with when they happen, but for now Hartson is correct, give Tierney a break and let him get on with playing football.
In other Celtic news, an outcast has returned to the Hoops squad
Don’t miss out on breaking and exclusive Celtic news by clicking here for our brilliant 24/7 updates on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.