With the oasis of left backs drier than ever, it comes to a surprise that Scotland’s market supply accounts for two potential world beaters at the position: Hull City’s Andrew Robertson and Celtic’s Kieran Tierney. With Pep Guardiola scourging the depths of Europe for a left back, like a kid relentlessly searching for the TV remote, Tierney gave a 10/10 audition before the Catalan’s very eyes. While Gaël Clichy and Aleksandr Kolarov have taken turns embarrassing themselves in the left back position, Tierney was superb up until his ankle ligament injury on October 28 which has kept him sidelined for months. In spite of Barcelona thumping the Glasgow outfit 7-0, Tierney did not come away with a bad impression. His ability on the ball, defending, tireless work ethic and accurate crossing stood out, especially given that he was going against the greatest to ever step on a football pitch. In an eye-watering 3-3 draw against Manchester City, Tierney gave a seminar in how to positively influence a game from the left back spot, standing out with his ability, and scoring a goal. Guardiola was left spell-binded with the Scot’s performance, so much that he turned to his assistant, Domenech Torrent, and asked him, “Who is this kid, from where has he come from?” At 19, Kieran Tierney has already performed admirably against the world’s best footballer and impressed the world’s best manager. As they say in Scotland, he has been a wee nyaff to some of the Champions League’s top sides, and he currently has some sporting directors and managers alike in awe of what a 19-year old Scot can do with a football.
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