Kieran Tierney: CelticPlayer exclusive interview | OneFootball

Kieran Tierney is looking forward to getting his first pre-season minutes when Celtic welcome AC Milan to Paradise on Saturday.

The defender returned to Lennoxtown last week following his involvement with Scotland at the World Cup and has since been working hard to catch up with the rest of the squad.

Although Tierney has yet to feature in Celtic’s pre-season fixtures, he says he feels in good condition and hopes to play a part against the seven-time European champions.

“It’s been good. Training has been hard, but I enjoy that in pre-season and I think you need it.” He told CelticPlayer.

“The boys had a tough pre-season in the weeks when I wasn’t here, so it’s good to be back and joining them.

“With the World Cup, you don’t actually get too much time off, so the benefit is that you don’t lose too much either.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully getting some minutes ahead of the season.”

While training provides an important physical foundation, Tierney believes match action is essential as the competitive campaign draws closer.

He said: “I probably need some minutes, to be honest. The boys have had a few games and got minutes in the tank, and I think that’s one of the most important things in pre-season.”

“You can run all day at the training ground, but it’s when you start getting minutes that you really begin to feel fit.”

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Saturday’s fixture provides another major test for Martin O’Neill’s side, with Tierney expecting both teams to use the occasion to sharpen their preparations.

“It’ll be a tough game. You know how good they are and the players they’ve got.” He said. “It is a pre-season game, so both teams will be looking to get different things from it.

"We want a good performance, we want to win, of course, and we want to get minutes in the tank for everybody.”

As a boyhood Celtic supporter, Tierney also remembers the excitement surrounding the club’s famous European meetings with the Italian giants.

While he was too young to recall every detail of the 2007 victory at Paradise, he joked that Stephen McManus, who scored that night, may have something to say about it before Saturday’s game.

“I’d have been young, so I don’t remember too much about the game itself, but I remember the tie.” Tierney said.

“Was Mick playing in that game? He scored, so maybe I’ll speak to him about it. He’ll probably mention it, actually!”

Tierney has also been impressed by new Bhoy Camilo Duran, who has scored twice during Celtic’s pre-season preparations.

The Colombian forward is still settling into his new surroundings, but Tierney has already been encouraged by what he has seen on the training pitch.

“He’s still learning English, so there are a few boys helping him with translating.” The defender added.

“Out on the pitch, he looks sharp and he looks good. During my first few days back I was watching training while doing some extra work, and his finishing looked sharp.

“I saw his goal against Middlesbrough as well, and it was a good finish.”

Tierney returned to Celtic last season and helped the Hoops complete a memorable league and Scottish Cup double.

After immediately joining Scotland’s World Cup preparations, the defender only recently had the opportunity to properly reflect on the dramatic end to the campaign.

“The last couple of weeks are when I’ve really taken it in. I’ve watched the videos back and realised how difficult that final week was.” Tierney said.

“What we did was amazing. It will probably go down in history as a great Celtic comeback to win the league.

“It was brilliant, and the atmosphere during the final few games was incredible as well.”

The 29-year-old also described representing Scotland at the World Cup in the United States as an unforgettable experience, despite the team failing to achieve the results they had hoped for.

“It was amazing. You don’t know how many times you’re going to experience it or whether it might be your only time, so I made the most of it.” He added.

“I enjoyed the games, the atmosphere and everything about it. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the results we wanted, but the experience as a whole was brilliant.

“That’s three tournaments I’ve been to with Scotland, and every one of them has been amazing. I’m very lucky and grateful to have been part of them.”

Fixtures

Celtic Vs. AC Milan - Sat, Jul 25th 2026, 15:00