Celtic lean on man who 'has played system before' despite crazy cycle

Defender Tierney, 28, has started every match since Nancy took over in early December and has been deployed as a left wing-back or a left-sided centre-half. He has netted two goals in five appearances and has been one of the better performers for Celtic of late.

Tierney returned to Celtic during the summer but struggled to complete 90 minutes regularly until well until the autumn. The former Arsenal man was also given a boost at international when he scored the winning goal for Scotland against Denmark as the national team qualified for the World Cup last month.

At club level, Nancy will call on Tierney once more when they face Livingston on Saturday afternoon and the French coach expects Tierney to go from strength to strength in his 3-4-3 system.

“He’s played this system before and obviously I discussed it with him and knew he was able to do it,” said Nancy. “I think there are a few players who can do better in certain positions but for the moment I am pleased with what I have. I want to challenge them more because they have more potential than maybe they think.

“Knock on wood, but he’s been playing 90 minutes in a few games now. In the past it was 60 minutes because they wanted to help him reach the 90 minutes. We’ve been working together to do that. After that, I hope that you can see more.

“I’m not surprised by what he has done already but I know he can do more in terms of everything, fitness wise too. Again, the cycle is so crazy, we have to find the balance with freshness. The idea is not to give him 90 minutes all the time, but to make sure he’s fresh at the good moments.”