Kieran Tierney: Kolo Toure still has plenty to offer Celtic
Kieran Tierney has already seen enough from new signing Kolo Toure to believe the 35-year-old has plenty to offer Celtic.
Kieran Tierney has already seen enough from new signing Kolo Toure to believe the 35-year-old has plenty to offer Celtic.
The former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool defender teamed up with his former Anfield boss Brendan Rodgers in Glasgow just over a week ago.
He missed a 1-1 draw with Astana - the first leg of a Champions League third-round qualifier in Kazakhstan - and the 3-1 International Champions Cup defeat to Barcelona in Dublin on Saturday to stay behind to work on his fitness.
Rodgers has confirmed Toure is set to make his debut against Astana at Parkhead tonight and is confident it would not be a gamble to play him from the start.
And left-back Tierney insists the Ivory Coast international has already made an impact at the club.
The 19-year-old said: "His experience is brilliant, you could tell in the first few days.
"He was always talking on the pitch, always commanding and it is brilliant to have someone like that in your defence.
"I watched him in the last few seasons, he is a top, top defender and I thought last season he was brilliant."
If Toure is to start it could be as replacement for under-fire defender Efe Ambrose, who was booed in Dublin after scoring an own goal for Barca, but Tierney urged Celtic fans to get behind the Nigerian.
He said: "I have been with him for two years and I know what he is like as a player and as a guy.
"Obviously, it is hard to take, scoring an own goal for Barcelona. It is not ideal and obviously he didn't mean it.
"The team are behind him and hopefully all the fans can get behind him again as well."
Celtic have a vital away goal against the Kazakh champions, courtesy of a Leigh Griffiths strike, and Tierney is hoping to finish the tie off in Glasgow.
He said: "They're a good team and it was a tough place to go.
"We went a goal down from a set-piece which wasn't ideal for us but we did well to get the away goal so that means they need to come out here and try to score. We're just looking to do all we can to win and go through."