Celtic banking on blockbuster Kieran Tierney return but there's an ominous stat that makes Plan B a necessity

There will be some Celtic fans relieved to see Kieran Tierney pack up his placcy bags and leave the Scotland camp without having another meaningless run out against some country the size of Coatbridge.

Plenty of Hoops punters would rather see the rampaging fullback wrapped in cotton wool ahead of his big homecoming unveiling in a few weeks and then fully up to speed for the new season.

Getting crocked in a knockabout in some European outpost doesn’t bear thinking about, when he’s already been billed as the big Brendan Rodgers signing of the summer.

But there will be some supporters who might be a tad concerned.

Tierney pulling out is likely to be no big deal. If Tierney felt a bit tight after last Friday’s miserable friendly defeat to Farmfoods, or whoever it was, then the best thing to do was to get out of dodge and get the feet up for a few weeks.

Scotland boss Steve Clarke didn’t sound too concerned. He explained: “Scott McTominay and Kieran both came into camp carrying some little issues over from the season.

“So I think if we had a longer turnaround between the games they might have had a chance but listen, it’s the end of season for those two.

“The most important thing is to have a good rest over the summer and come back flying in the autumn.”

That is the hope for Hoops fans – but there are some nagging concerns.

There’s no escaping the fact Tierney has had injury issues and it would be foolish to ignore them when it came to the transfer window.

The full back doesn’t just need back up – he might need a job share.

It could be Tierney is fresh and raring to go but it has been a difficult couple of years for the defender, who turned 28 last week.

The fans favourite made just 23 appearances last term for club and