Former Partick Thistle and Dundee United manager Ian McCall has advised Celtic to drop Kieran Tierney and hand Marcelo Saracchi an extended run at left-back for the crucial final six games.
The Scotland international has made 45 appearances in all competitions since returning from Arsenal last summer, his highest tally since 2017/18. However, Tierney has completed 90 minutes in just 13 of those matches and was substituted with 14 minutes remaining during Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Dundee.
McCall believes fatigue is catching up with the 27-year-old. Speaking on Open Goal, he stated: “It’s a horrible thing. I think he should be playing left-back ahead of Kieran Tierney just now. Kieran Tierney just looks tired. The bottom line is, look how much he’s played over the last four years. I thought the Celtic supporters were giving Saracchi a cheer when he came on when Tierney got taken off. We all know Tierney is top-notch when he’s fit, but right at this minute, for these six games, Saracchi looks like he has more energy and more about him. I’d maybe think about him.”
Tierney himself addressed fitness concerns last week, acknowledging the gradual approach Celtic have taken with his workload. “People are always going to do it, and they still say it today. There’s nothing you can do apart from work hard. I’m just so grateful because the club, one of the reasons I came back is because I know the club so well and they know me, and they probably knew that I was going to need a bit of time. So the club never put pressure on me at the start to play three games a week, three 90 minutes a week. It was a slow buildup, and that was always the plan.”
With Celtic trailing Hearts by three points and facing a demanding conclusion to the season, Martin O’Neill must decide whether to heed McCall’s advice or continue relying on Tierney’s quality despite evident fatigue.