Kieran Tierney: It feels amazing to be a Celtic player again | OneFootball

Kieran Tierney is delighted to have come back up the road and be home again at Paradise, having signed a five-year deal which will see him remain at the club until at least 2030.

While it has long been known that the 28-year-old was returning to Celtic, having agreed a pre-contract agreement with the club earlier this year, Tierney is delighted to once again officially be a Celtic player.

Having come through the club’s Youth Academy, he made his first-team debut back in April 2015 at the age of 17, and he would go on to make a total of 170 appearances for the Hoops, scoring eight goals before joining Arsenal in 2019.

The Scotland internationalist will meet up with his team-mates – some of them new, but a few who are familiar and friendly faces – when the squad report back for pre-season at the end of this month.

And he can’t wait to begin training at Lennoxtown and playing again at Celtic Park, wearing his iconic No.63 jersey.

Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV, Kieran Tierney said: “Everybody’s known for a few months and just to be here with the Celtic strip on again just feels amazing.

“I spoke with the manager, and obviously I had worked with the gaffer before and I’ve always kept in touch with him.

“He never had to convince me much but it’s just a huge bonus that he’s the manager because I loved working with him. He knows how to get the best out of me, and I just loved my time under him.

“He’s a great person that I’ve always kept in touch with, John Kennedy as well, who is also someone I’ve kept in touch with and who I still meet regularly when I’m back, and Cal and Jamesy, who I’ve been close with now since I was 17.

“When you move away from home, you grow up, you learn different things. I was in Spain for a year, learning a different language and playing in a different league. So I’m definitely a different person, and player-wise, it’s the same as I always say – I’ll try and work my hardest, I’ll do my best for the club and that’s all I can do.”

During Kieran Tierney’s first spell with Celtic he won 10 major trophies, including three consecutive Trebles. As a player, as well as a fan, he is well aware of the expectations which come every time he pulls on the green and white Hoops.

“That’s part of playing for Celtic and it’s the pressure of playing for Celtic as well,” he said. “You need to win trophies, you’re disappointed when you don’t.

“Obviously these last few years, I’ve not won too many but I’m hoping to come back here and win as many as I can and for Celtic to be as successful as possible.

And on the prospect of playing at Celtic Park again, which could come as early as July 19 when Brendan Rodgers’ side take on Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly, Tierney said: “Honestly, I cannot wait and I can’t describe it. It will be emotional, for sure.

“I’ve already thought about it and it will be emotional for me and my family. It’s been a long time, we’ve had ups and downs in the last few years, so coming back here and walking out at Celtic Park will be just incredible.”