Kieran Tierney’s Celtic return was the showpiece signing for the club this summer.
By the time that 2025 came around, everybody knew that Tierney would be reuniting with Brendan Rodgers at some point… it was just a case of when.
And despite attempts to bring him to Celtic Park in January, the Hoops were eventually made to wait until this summer, when he directly slotted in for the departed Greg Taylor.
It hasn’t been plain sailing for Tierney since his return – there have been setbacks, struggles in playing 90 minutes, and, of course, Rodgers is now gone.
But in scoring his first goal since his return on Sunday, Tierney marked the best individual moment yet of his second spell.
Michael Stewart on Kieran Tierney’s ‘psychological scars’ at Celtic
Tierney’s fitness struggles have been well-documented.
They began while at Celtic, but were most serious at Arsenal, halting his first-team progress and ruling him out of matches at both of the last two European Championships for Scotland.
READ MORE: Kjetil Knutsen makes promise over Celtic links as Bodo/Glimt boss leaves door open
He was barely starting matches for the Gunners by the time that his contract expired in the summer, so the transition back to being a first-team starter was never going to be straightforward.
The arrival of Marcelo Saracchi has also helped, and the Uruguayan’s injury led to Tierney’s introduction on Sunday.
Speaking on BBC Sportscene, Michael Stewart raised a theory about the ‘psychological scars’ that Tierney is still battling with, saying: “Kieran Tierney has been to hell and back, really.
“The injuries he’s had – I think the psychological scars are still clear for everybody to see. It looks and feels like he’s still a little bit restricted, in terms of the way that he’s playing.
“He’s not playing 90 minutes all the time. Whether that’s partly due to those psychological scars of… he’s tentative and not really sure if he can open up at times, when you’re watching him.
“Hopefully, he’s in a place where there’s a bit of comfort, he’s at home, he’s at his club, and over time, maybe he’ll be able to get back over that.
“But it’s not going to be easy. That’s for sure.”
Celtic’s present injury issues
Celtic can’t afford to lose Tierney to injury given Saracchi’s absence – but that is far from the only injury concern that the club currently has.
Jota has been nursing a serious knee injury since May, while more recently, Cameron Carter-Vickers suffered an Achilles problem that could see him miss most of the rest of the season.
Another first-team starter, Alistair Johnston, has also been ruled out long-term after multiple hamstring setbacks. Remarkably, he, Carter-Vickers and Kelechi Iheanacho all suffered their injuries on the same night.
Celtic aren’t just missing players, they’re missing key players – so it’s little wonder why they are being cautious over Tierney’s fitness.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
