Celtic's Kieran Tierney will thrive for Scotland, says skipper Scott Brown
Friday 11 March 2016 10:31, UK
Celtic captain Scott Brown has welcomed team-mate Kieran Tierney's inclusion in the Scotland squad.
The 18-year-old full-back has shone since breaking into the champions' first team late last year and national coach Gordon Strachan has named him in his party for a friendly against Denmark on March 29.
Scotland take on the Czech Republic in Prague five days earlier and skipper Brown, speaking before taking part in Ladbrokes' new 'Football Star in a Rally Car' event, described Tierney's selection as "excellent".
"He is a rising star, that's for sure," he said. "It is great to have him in the squad. "He works so hard in training every day, he has a great attitude and has been exceptional for the last three or four months.
"Hopefully he can get a little chance against Denmark to show the manager what he can do."
Tierney has made 24 appearances for the Hoops since ousting regular left-back Emilio Izaguirre and Brown is tipping him to thrive on the international stage.
"He is still a young kid but he is thriving," said Brown, who has scored four goals in 49 appearances for his country. "He is composed on the ball, good at one-on-one defending, and is also a great attacking outlet.
"Nothing fazes him, he will thrive playing with international players and just to put that Scotland jersey on, he will love it."
Returning his thoughts to domestic competition, Brown admitted that the prospect of facing Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final in April will help spark Celtic's season.
"They are a good team, they play good football," he said. "They are doing well in the Championship and we are still leading in the Premiership so hopefully we can kick on a bit now."
Celtic beat Rangers 2-0 with some ease when they met in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden last season but Brown expects a more difficult challenge this time.
"We are top of the league, we have a game in hand and we need to get that five-in-a-row. We need to keep winning. We are Celtic and should be winning the league no matter what," he added.
