Neil Lennon shows up Brendan Rodgers with Kieran Tierney comments

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Neil Lennon has really shown up his Celtic predecessor Brendan Rodgers with his latest comments on Kieran Tierney.

Just like last year, the left-back is the target of genuine interest from a leading English Premier League club.

However, this year Celtic have a manager in charge who has the club’s best interests at heart in everything he does. The same couldn’t be said for Rodgers.

When Tierney became a target for Everton last June, Rodgers admitted that it may be best for the youngster to move on. He even bizarrely cited Hoops coach John Kennedy as a reason for Tierney to depart.

“You see his passion and love, but football is a harsh business”, he told the Scottish Sun. (June 2018)

“It’s a business where the career is very, very short and if he can go and earn four or five times the money he’s on at Celtic, who am I to say not to do it?

“You look at John Kennedy. An absolute star in the making, playing in a really good team at a young age.

“In his first international game he gets his leg shattered. That’s his football life done.”

“I want to develop Kieran the best I possibly can with the coaches and make him the best he can be. But there’s a moral side to it as well. How can you deny a boy that?”

It would only be a mild stretch to suggest that Rodgers was actively encouraging Tierney to move down south.

Lennon wants the best for Tierney and Celtic

Fast forward a year and Neil Lennon is dealing with the matter in a totally different, and better, way. The BBC have some quotes from the Northern Irishman as he stated that he wants the left-back to stay put.

“The club’s valuation of Kieran has not been met and until then we don’t have a discussion”, Lennon said.

“He’s our player. He’s on a long-term contract. While it’s a backhanded compliment for all the hard work people here have done over the years with Kieran, we don’t want him to go.

“We don’t want them in the Premier League, we want them here with us playing in the Champions League.”

Tierney may still leave the club this summer. But he won’t be wished away by Lennon like he may have been under Rodgers. Celtic have a proper fan back in charge and he wants the best for the club.