Kieran Tierney has revealed his hero growing up was Henrik Larsson but that playing alongside Scott Brown put the former captain next to the 'King of Kings'.
Tierney, who was long discussed his admiration for Parkhead legend Larsson, believes Fleetwood Town boss Brown can sit next to the Swedish forward in his best Celtic icons of all time. The 25-year-old has made a good transition to life in the English Premier League with Arsenal four years on from leaving his boyhood club for a big-money move.
The Scotland star has found recent months a struggle in a highly-competitive Arsenal team, but was keen to stress he still looks to the likes of Larsson and Brown for advice.
READ MORE: Kieran Tierney Arsenal latest as Serie A giants 'ready to contend' for Celtic hero if made available
When asked about his inspirations, he told the club's website : “Football-wise, there’s two. When I was younger it would have been Henrik Larsson, just for what he did at Celtic. When I got a bit older and played for Celtic I actually met him a few times, had the chance to speak to him. He’s given me great advice as well, he always does. I’m still in touch with him quite a lot.
“Even in the tough moments, like just now when you’re not playing as much as you’d like, he still messages me, telling me to keep believing. That’s basically every Celtic fan’s hero, messaging me that, so that gives you huge confidence and inspiration.
“Then once I got into the first team at Celtic my inspiration would have been Scott Brown. To see his attitude towards training every day, to even see the way he warms up, the way he talks to people, his professionalism, his intensity.
"He really is a leader. So growing up it would have been Larsson and when I was part of the first team environment it was Scott Brown, hands down.”
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