KIERAN TIERNEY will undergo medical assessment tomorrow on his smashed jaw as Gordon Strachan prepares for Saturday’s make-or-break World Cup qualifier against England at Hampden.
The Celtic left-back, injured by Jayden Stockley’s flying elbow in the 2-1 Scottish Cup Final win over Aberdeen, has jetted back into Glasgow following a short holiday.
Now he will undergo a medical examination before ex-Hoops boss Strachan lays his plans for the tie against Southgate’s men.
The international gaffer said: “He goes for an assessment at 8:30 on Monday morning. What he needs to protect him will be down to the people Kieran is seeing right now. How to train, when to train etc.
“We’ll let Kieran get on with it and not pressurise him at all. We’ve no concerns about him not declaring himself fit unless the doctor says ‘you can’t do this’ for whatever reason.
“Anything our doctor and the Celtic doctor say, we will do. We don’t make any decisions on people’s fitness.
“We’ve never asked a player to do anything outwith their club agreement. It’s not easy when you get smacked on the face and, when you come back to training, it’s very hard. You’re kind of ducking and diving.
“That thing can be severely painful at the time. But it’s not going to get any worse over time. It’s a protection thing after that.
“He did manage to make it back to run up the steps and get the Cup. That’s what adrenaline does for you, the excitement of his team winning. And we do admire that.
“It’s a certainty what will happen next week – he will get banged on the face somewhere along the line. Absolute certainty.
“But he’s got a real street mentality when it comes to playing football. He likes making tackles.
“He’s an old-fashioned defender who goes forward but who understands, like the top defenders in the world, that defending is his job first. To stop people playing. Then attack after you do that.
“Some do it the other way about now and think it’s nice to stroll around making 125 passes a game, but actually not tackle and they think they are doing well.”
