Rodgers is right not to rush Tierney back for Valencia second leg and risk more issues

By Sam Preston

Brendan Rodgers will not risk Kieran Tierney’s fitness in tonight’s Europa League last 32 second leg tie against Valencia, according to Celtic TV, as relayed by the Daily Record.

Tierney’s return from injury has been managed very carefully by Rodgers but he will reportedly resist the temptation to throw him back in for the tough trip to the Mestalla Stadium.

He said: “By the end of this week, that’ll be two full weeks Kieran will have training with the squad and the team. So we would hope that maybe by Motherwell at the weekend, he will be in with a chance.

“We will assess that but he’s looking very strong. He’s looking back to his running ability which he showed before the injury. But he’s back moving as well as he has done so we’re hoping by the weekend he will be fine.”

(Vagelis Georgariou/Action Plus via Getty Images)

In a strange way, Celtic losing to Valencia in that first leg may have helped Tierney by removing the most intense of the temptation for Rodgers to throw him back in tonight.

With a real chance of winning the tie tonight, Tierney may have been rushed in but it’s easier to be a bit more patient when getting into the last sixteen is now an outside bet.

And Rodgers is right to manage Tierney carefully because the last thing he wants is for one of his key men to suffer another setback and be ruled out for the business end of the title race.