THERE is no need to whisper it.
A relatively shy 20-year-old Kieran Tierney may be quietly spoken but he continues to do his talking on the football pitch. On Thursday, the young man’s voice was once again that of the leader of his side, as the noise surrounding his reputation is heard further and further afield.
A hero to those who watch him in green and white, the talent, maturity and fearlessness of the young man from Motherwell is nothing new. Indeed, the vision of him defending a Scotland goal in dark blue is nothing new, even if in the unusual position of right-back. Yet on Thursday night Tierney added another accolade to his glowing cv as he led his country out against the Netherlands.
“He’s unbelievable,” said club-mate Callum McGregor, who lined up beside Tierney at Pittodrie. “To be captain of your country so young shows he has the mentality to do it. It was another great performance and he seems to be getting better and better. He played centre-back and he’s adding that to his game. But wherever you play him he’s going to give you a good performance. I’m delighted for him.
“When we walked into the dressing-room we saw the armband at his
place and you just took that as normal. That was how he found out. I was delighted for him – he deserves it. He’s been absolutely outstanding for Celtic since he came into the team and he’s carried it on to international football.
“He’s one who leads by example rather than shouting at people. You can get two different types of captain – one’s vocal and the other leads by example. He’s probably in the latter category in terms of his performances and the way he goes about his business. He’s shown the rest the standard.
“I’d probably say Scott Brown is a bit more vocal. You can probably hear him in the stands. But Broony leads by example as well – he’s probably got both of those sides to his character. That comes with experience to be a bit more vocal.”
Watching Tierney against the Dutch, it is difficult to believe his competitive debut for Celtic was only in April 2015, coming on as a late substitute against Dundee aged just 17. Two years on, he’s starred for his club in the Champions League, captained them, won a domestic
treble and shown the same level of performance for his country.
It is perhaps the fact that he looks as composed and in control while leading his country as he does playing in a domestically unbeaten team for the last 63 games which leads many to believe he should keep hold of that armband whenever the new manager of the national team eventually arrives.
“He’s a level-headed boy and he takes it all in his stride,” McGregor said. “There’s no reason why he wouldn’t. This was his first game as captain and he did magnificently well.”
Thursday was clearly a special night for the Scotland captain, but it was an evening of great significance for McGregor as he made his international debut on the back of a sterling run in the Celtic team.
“It was a proud moment. I thought I did okay,” added the 24-year-old. “I had a few good turns, slid a few people in, got a few shots at goal as well.
“They scored on a counter-attack and that was really all [goalkeeper] Craig [Gordon] had to do. It was positive from Scotland’s point of view to create so many chances. But you’ve got to take one of them.”
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