Kieran Tierney and Greg Taylor tipped to put the fear of God into Celtic wingers

KT is on his way back from Arsenal but Taylor's future is less clear with the boss admitting it remains out of his hands

Brendan Rodgers is adamant big-personality Greg Taylor can dovetail perfectly with Kieran Tierney.

But the manager admits the situation remains out of his hands as he waits on a decision over his current star’s future.

Celtic have tied Tierney up on a pre-contract from Arsenal with the former hero currently helping the Gunners in their bid for Champions League glory.

Rodgers also wants Taylor on the scene going forward, but that is less clear with a contract extension yet to be agreed or signed.

The boss joked his wingers are watching out due to Tierney’s recent advanced work on the pitch as he smiled: “I was in contact with him during the week and told him our wingers are very scared now! Because he’s playing on the left and the right.”

But the prospect of him working in squad tandem with Taylor is a serious proposition for Rodgers as he continued: “Kieran plays his role. It’s a different type of role. He can do that, he can jump on the inside and be outside.

“He has different strengths and qualities. When you are trying to build a squad, you are trying to have different strengths within it.

“Kieran has pace, power and running ability. He also has a passion for the club and can’t wait to be here.

“Irrelevant of his experiences, we will improve as a squad when he comes back. I’m just really pleased for him.

“It was a fantastic performance by Arsenal [against Real Madrid] over the two legs and to see him be involved in that is obviously a great experience for him. It’s going to be a really exciting last couple of months for him there.

“We know what we are getting with Kieran. He’s a player with great experience because every single week in the Premier League is like a big European game.

“It’s so challenging and testing and he’s had a number of years of that. We are getting him back at a brilliant age and, hopefully, he can help this squad achieve a lot more.

“But we also need a squad of players and it can dovetail perfectly with someone like Greg. But we have to wait and see.”

Taylor has yet to commit as he moves into the final weeks of a current deal and Rodgers said: “I have said all along, he is a player I so want to keep here. But that bit of it is out of my hands now.

“Until then, we just continue to work with him and never give up hope because there is still a bit of time left until the end of the season. I have got nothing concrete to give you on that.”

Rodgers' words some weeks back made it feel that Taylor looked more likely to go, but he explained: “I was talking through my experience of being in this situation before numbers of times with numbers of players.

“I am hoping this is one of these ones which can maybe go on longer and doesn’t go the other way because normally in this situation it feels that way.

“But I think you see from Greg’s performance last week. He was absolutely so good. In terms of that role, that inverted position, that is as good as I have seen that played last week.

“You are playing against teams that are man-to-man, so you need to have mobility in your team, you need to have players who can find space, be clever, know when to be inside, when to be outside. That is the nature of how we play.

“He is such a fantastic player, but he is more than that. He is not just a great footballer for the way we play and the system that we play, he is very instrumental off the field.

“He has got a big personality in the changing room, his character fits this club. Why? Because he is up for every single game, I mean every single game, whether it is RB Leipzig at home, where he was absolutely brilliant, or an away game, he is up for every game.

“He is in tune with what being a Celtic player is about. If you look at Jamesy [Forrest], look at Callum [McGregor], look at these guys, they live with the expectation, they live with the feeling and what the demands are of this club. And Greg lives that feeling as well as a Celtic player.

“So there is so much more to him than his game, but his game is perfect for how we work and how we play, which is why I want to keep him here.

“Listen, he knows how we all feel about him here. It is a big decision at 27. If you going to commit you are committing for four or five years. You are pretty much saying this is your big contract here.

“I think he knows what he gets from a football perspective. He has every right to take his time and try and get his value met, I totally understand that.

“Of course, he wants to win trophies and succeed. The big thing for Greg is playing of course. We have obviously got Kieran coming back in but it is still a squad and it is still a season.

“Especially now when it has felt such a long season with no breaks or anything in there, you need a really, really good squad. He is a super guy. We will see.”