Motherwell midfielder Ross Tierney claims he tried to talk his pal Johnny Kenny out of signing for Celtic in January.
Kenny came in during the winter window from the League of Ireland and immediately got injured, and that was after he tested positive for the virus.
The striker came into Celtic as a project and hopes to push through into the first team over the next 12 months.
Ross, who also came from the league of Ireland, suggested his pal take a move to another club in Scotland who made bid for his services.
Speaking to Football Scotland, Tierney said: “It was always about where would be best for me.
“Maybe going down south I’d have got more money but I was only 20 at the time and wasn’t thinking about that.
“I only thought about what would be best for my career.
“I spoke to Johnny about that. There was another club in Scotland interested in him.
“Obviously, you’d love to sign for Celtic. But are you going to play?
“Last year with Sligo he qualified for Europe, played first-team football and was involved in the international set-up.
“At Celtic, let’s be honest, you’re not going to go straight into the first-team. There are a lot of players in front of Johnny.
“And Celtic can go and buy players of a bigger stature.
“It’s his career. He’s good enough to play for Celtic and is still young so he’s got time.
“But being injured wasn’t a great start for him. Johnny’s got a good head on his shoulders so I’m sure he’ll look after himself.”
CeltsAreHere.com were told by a reliable source, the other club was indeed Hibernian. There were rumours at the time Kenny had snubbed Celtic for Hibs but nothing came of it.
Johnny seen an opportunity at Celtic to come in and try and make a mark.
Some will scoff at Tierney telling anybody to turn down Celtic but there is some logic there. The case of Aaron Hickey is interesting when it comes to Celtic interest. They had the player on the books TWICE at Celtic Park and weren’t as keen on him joining the first team until he played for Hearts. Celtic spent a whole season trying to get him back before the player moved to Italy.
It can be hard for Celtic youngsters to get their chance, especially strikers. Johnny will have to put some serious work in but on the flips side of things, Ange will give you a chance if he believes you’re good enough.
Kenny has yet to make his first team debut but he has played for the B team since returning from injury.
