Pat Nevin has been left "confused and disappointed" by Kieran Tierney's exit from the Premier League
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Former Everton star, Pat Nevin
Former Everton star, Pat Nevin
Former Everton hero Pat Nevin has been left "confused and disappointed" by Kieran Tierney's exit from the Premier League, saying the ex-Arsenal left-back was even better than Andy Robertson. Tierney has rejoined Celtic after six seasons with the Gunners, who he joined for £25m in 2019.
At just 28, Tierney remains in the prime of his career but his move to London simply didn't work out as planned. The Scotland international struggled with form and fitness throughout the past several seasons and Arsenal's £42m signing of Italian Riccardo Calafiori effectively spelt the end of his Gunners career.
And Nevin, who made over 100 appearances for Everton in a four-year spell, has been left bemused by Tierney's failure at the elite level.
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The pundit even went as far as saying that Tierney was a better player than Liverpool's Robertson, who has played over 300 games for the Reds and lifted every major trophy available since he joined from Hull City in 2017.
He said: "The end to Kieran Tierney's Premier League career is one of the most confusing and disappointing things I've seen.
"As an all-round player, he was a better left-back than Andy Robertson. Andy has done some brilliant things with Liverpool but as a player, not when it comes to crossing, but in terms of getting forward, Kieran was just as good and adaptable.
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“That's no disrespect to Andy Robertson, who I think is world-class, but for Kieran to have done nowhere near as much is just partially baffling and just disappointing.
"I don't think he's done anything particularly wrong other than getting injured which held him back."
Nevin added: "His attitude has always been spot on and he's always offered quality. As a matter of fact, at one point, he was a favourite of the supporters at Arsenal. I just think Mikel Arteta thinks he cannot be trusted to stay fit. It's a shame and is as much of a problem as anything.
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"Anyway, he's swapping the substitutes' bench for the place he loves and a place where he can still play Champions League football.
"Celtic pushed Bayern Munich all the way in Europe last season. It's not that bad, is it?
"Did he underachieve? Yes, but it's not due to any fault of his own."