There was a lot of excitement when Kieran Tierney returned to Celtic this summer.
The boyhood Celtic fan returned on a free transfer from Arsenal, but everyone has been aware that Tierney has needed to be handled with care because of his past injury issues.
As Celtic beat Hibernian 2-1 on Sunday at Easter Road, Martin O’Neill brought Marcelo Saracchi into the XI and benched Tierney.
Celtic’s interim coach explained his decision and the issues Tierney is currently facing.
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Martin O’Neill on Kieran Tierney possibly needing an injection
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, O’Neill stated that Tierney has had ‘a few heel problems’, and it is an ‘ongoing’ issue with him.
O’Neill also explained that Tierney had ‘a big toenail removed’ recently, and it will require him to get an injection as it is in the ‘process of healing up.’
“Really quite simple, Kieran has had a few heel problems,” said O’Neill about starting Saracchi ahead of Tierney against Hibs. “It has been an ongoing thing with him.
“Then he had a big toenail removed just the other evening. That is in the process of healing up. He thinks he will get an injection for it if it’s needed.
“I just thought Saracchi coming back again, we will run with it.”
Tierney’s minutes for Celtic since his return this summer
It was pretty clear that Celtic are slowly managing Tierney’s minutes, and he is getting subbed off frequently.
The key thing is that the Scotland international, who also helped his nation reach the 2026 World Cup, hasn’t had many injury problems and he has been available regularly.
- Tierney’s games: 20
- Starts: 15
- 90 minutes completed: 5
- Total minutes: 1,369
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