Neil Lennon predicts how Celtic full-back Emilio Izaguirre would have reacted to losing place to Kieran Tierney

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The Celtic academy graduate moved ahead of the Honduran in the pecking order last season.

Neil Lennon has predicted that Emilio Izaguirre would have responded positively to losing his place in the Celtic first-team to Kieran Tierney, the Evening Times reports.

Izaguirre was a key part of the Hoops squad during Lennon’s tenure and was rewarded by winning various Player of the Year awards at the end of the 2010/11 season.

Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre

However, Kieran Tierney’s emergence under Ronny Deila and continued progression under Brendan Rodgers has seen the 30-year-old move much closer to the periphery of the Bhoys’ squad over the last year, so much so that he was linked with leaving Parkhead in the summer (via The Scottish Sun).

And while he only made his first Scottish Premiership appearance of the season last week in the win over Ross County, and is surely likely to return to the bench when Tierney recovers from his ankle injury (via Evening Times), Lennon is sure that Izaguirre will have been able to put any frustrations aside for the good of the team.

Celtic’s Kieran Tierney in action with Borussia Monchengladbach’s Oscar Wendt

“Kieran Tierney’s a loss but Emilio is a good professional,” he said, as reported by the Evening Times. “He wouldn’t have been sulking around the place. He probably accepts young Tierney has come in and been a revelation and nobody would disagree with that.

“He’s had to bide his time but he played well at Pittodrie and he’ll fit right in again to the way Brendan wants him to play. It’s a loss but there’s a really able deputy to fill his boots.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers

While Tierney’s age means that he is likely to be perceived the long-term option for Celtic – provided that they can keep hold of him over the coming years – Izaguirre will know that the brief opportunity to once again be the undisputed first-choice is one that he needs to make the most of.

If the Honduran finds the form he showed during Lennon’s time in charge, then perhaps he will do enough to convince Rodgers to give him more chances even when Tierney is fully fit.