Kolo Toure has paid a huge tribute to the promising Celtic star.
Kolo Toure has told The Scottish Herald that Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney is well equipped to reach the level of his former Arsenal team-mate Ashley Cole.
The 20-year-old is one of the most exciting young defenders in European football and has already courted interest from some of England’s elite – including Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
With Celtic reaching the group stages of the Champions League over the past two seasons – and picking up some very impressive results in both campaigns – the Scotland international has been able to showcase his talent on the biggest stage.
At one stage, Cole, who won every trophy possible during his time at Arsenal and Chelsea, was arguably the best left-back in world football – and Toure, who played alongside the former England defender in North London for four years, says Tierney has it within him to reach the same footing.
The former Celtic defender, now a coach at Parkhead, told The Scottish Herald: “He plays every game as well. He is not the tallest but he is a fighter and he is strong.
“He crosses, gets back and defends. He is a very, very good player. Can he reach Ashley Cole’s level one day? Yes, of course. He has such great potential.”
There is a long way to go before he reaches Cole’s level, but there can be little doubt that the Celtic starlet hasn’t shown the potential to scale those heights.
He seems like one of the players who Celtic will struggle to hold on to in the long term, but the Scottish champions will at least expect to be handsomely compensated if and when the youngster – contracted until 2021 – leaves Glasgow.
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