£1m star has never played at left-back for Celtic, now he could replace Tierney

Celtic hit the jackpot when they decided to bring Kieran Tierney back to the club for a second spell at Parkhead in the last summer transfer window.

Brendan Rodgers lured him back to Glasgow as a free agent after his contract with Premier League giants Arsenal expired last summer, six years after his £25m move from Celtic.

In his first stint with the club, the left-back came up through the academy system and went on to win five Scottish Premiership titles with the first-team before moving down south.

Since his return, Tierney has scored five goals and provided 11 assists in 47 appearances in all competitions, offering a big threat in the final third from a left-back position.

However, players can go through spells of difficult form and it may be time for Martin O’Neill to give the full-back a rest against Falkirk on Saturday.

Why Celtic should drop Kieran Tierney against Falkirk

In the 6-2 win over St Mirren in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup on Sunday, the Scotland international got into a lot of promising positions in the final third and failed to get any quality or shots or crosses off to make it count.

Prior to the dramatic win over the Saints at Hampden Park, the left-footed defender failed to make an impact with the ball at his feet in the last three matches in the Premiership for the Hoops.

In those three games, Tierney lost possession 46 times without creating any ‘big chances’ for his teammates or registering any shots on target. Given his output across the season and the quality that he possesses, the full-back should be disappointed by those statistics.

The former Arsenal defender is not used to playing so many matches in a season, though, as this is his first year with 40 or more appearances since he left Celtic for Arsenal in 2019.

That is why the best course of action could be to drop him from the side against Falkirk to allow him to rest and recharge ahead of the rest of the title run-in.

Celtic’s wildcard option to replace Tierney at left-back

Whilst Marcelo Saracchi, who came on against St Mirren at left-back, could be used to replace Tierney, O’Neill could get creative and unleash a star who has never played at left-back for the club before.

Luke McCowan has exclusively played in central midfield or on the wings for the Hoops since his £1m move from Dundee in the summer of 2024, but he could be an interesting option at left-back.

He is not an out-and-out defender who will go and win five tackles and make four interceptions each match, but the Scottish ace has the composure and quality on the ball to add an extra edge to Celtic’s attack from that position.

Because Anthony Ralston, despite his goal against St Mirren, is not the most technically impressive right-back, playing McCowan at left-back could allow the Hoops to play a back three in possession.

That would mean Ralston, Auston Trusty, and Liam Scales could operate as centre-backs in the build-up and McCowan could join Callum McGregor in midfield, helping to speed up how quickly the ball moves up to the attacking players.

The former Dundee star, who was once described as a « game winner » by pundit Marvin Bartley, has not been rewarded with the assists that his creative play has deserved in the Premiership this season, but his underlying numbers show how effective he can be on the ball.

McCowan constantly looks to play forward with the ball to create and score goals, which is why he could be an interesting option to replace Tierney, who has been struggling in that respect of late.

He has never played at left-back for the Scottish giants before, but deploying him in a hybrid role that would see him operate in central midfield as well as left-back could ease him into it.

Therefore, O’Neill could find a creative way to drop Tierney to the bench by unleashing McCowan in this brand-new role against Falkirk on Saturday in the Premiership.