Celtic’s assistant manager John Kennedy has said that he is unperturbed by the recent speculation linking Kieran Tierney with a move away from Parkhead. The Scotland international is widely regarded as one of the best attack-minded left-backs in Europe and his development has caught the eye of several European sides.

Among those, Napoli and Arsenal have been constantly linked with his services in the past few weeks but Kennedy has suggested that the Scot would be staying put with the gossip barely materialising in the past, he said: “It has been the same for the last four windows, hasn’t it?Kieran is still recovering from surgery. His rehab will continue over the next couple of weeks. It’s one we’ll have to monitor. He will be pushing it towards the stage of the qualifiers. But we’ll have to see how he is feeling on a daily basis.”

Despite Kennedy’s comments, the speculation over the defender’s future has only intensified over the past few days and a report from The Sun has indicated that the Gunners could make a formal approach for the Scot after watching him on numerous occasions over the past year. The north London side currently have the services of Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac for the left-back role but they are said to be looking to replace the former, who has entered the final phase of his professional career.

Kolasinac, on the other hand, has been a useful contributor when it comes to the attacking prospect but he has lacked the defensive resolve required for the Premier League. Moreover, he has disappointed with his crossing attributes and that is something which Tierney has been renowned for whenever he has managed to secure possession out wide on the opposition flank. Tierney has four years remaining on his contract with the Hoops.