Homecoming hero Kieran Tierney backs Brendan Rodgers to cope with speculation over the Celtic manager's future

Kieran Tierney believes Brendan Rodgers will cope with the ongoing speculation surrounding his long-term future at Celtic.

The Northern Irishman is entering the final year of his contract and, despite having touched on the matter in talks with the club’s powerbrokers at the end of the last campaign, there’s been no indication yet that he will agree to stay on beyond 2026.

But Tierney, who was persuaded by the 52-year-old to return to the club from Arsenal this summer, claims the uncertainty surrounding the manager’s position will have no bearing on how he or the team perform.

‘I don’t think he’ll bother too much about the kind of outside noise,’ said Tierney.

‘He’ll just get on with his job because he knows he’s got a job to do. And, as his players, we’ve got a job to do. And we need to do it to the best of our ability.

‘That takes hard work and commitment every single day, no days off and just being at it every day.

Tierney has backed manager Brendan Rodgers to cope with speculation over his future

Tierney answers questions during his press conference at Celtic Park on Friday

‘I think with the captain that we’ve got, it’s perfect having Callum (McGregor) and the manager as well together. It’s a perfect combination.’

Tierney won two Trebles in Rodgers’ first spell before completing a £25million move south in 2019.

Having been reunited with Rodgers, he feels the Northern Irishman is just as committed to the cause as the manager he first encountered.

‘It’s amazing how much he actually works and the effort he puts in,’ he added.

‘We saw the benefits of it the other night (in the friendly win over Sporting Lisbon).

‘We played really well, some good passages of play against a top team.

‘It just shows you how passionate he is that you can still see him shouting and wanting more. And you need that if you are going to win these trophies.

The Celtic full back is put through his paces ahead of pre-season friendly with Newcastle

‘You need to be 100 per cent all the time, whether it’s a pre-season friendly, a Champions League qualifier, Scottish Cup or the league. You need to be on it every single day, even in training. You need to be on it and the manager makes sure that we are.’

A decade after making his debut for his boyhood heroes, Tierney returns to Parkhead today for the first time in six years as Rodgers’ team step up their pre-season training with a friendly against Newcastle.

‘It will be a very special day,’ he said. ‘It’ll be the first time I’ve been on the park for six years, so it’s a long time. That will be amazing.’