Ronny Deila praised the contribution of Kieran Tierney after the 18-year-old made his first start for the club against Ross County on Saturday afternoon.

The teenager his highly-regarded within the club and Deila is confident that Tierney will have a role to play in the senior team this term.

“He has a great attitude,” he said.

“He needs to work on his stamina, but he is a determined player and he is also a player who is very aware of what is going on all around him at times which is very important. His touch and his technique will improve as he plays more games but he is a very good young player and it was good for him to play.”

Meanwhile, Deila has admitted that Leigh Griffiths is putting him under pressure for a start in Qarabag this Wednesday – assuming he is fit.

The striker took a calf knock on Saturday during the 2-0 win over Ross County but took to Twitter to assuage any fears that he would not be ready for the game in Azerbaijan this week.

“Leigh needs only three or four minutes to score now – and that’s good!” joked Deila.

“Leigh does put the pressure on me to pick him, but he will get a lot of playing tie. No problem

“We need all our players now into the next games.”

There remains a question mark over the fitness of Charlie Mulgrew but other than that Deila expects to have everyone available to him.

“We hope everyone will be ready, and maybe Charlie will be fit,” he said. “We will wait and see.

“We need to defend well and play at our best.”

Southampton, meanwhile, are the latest team to be taking a genuine interest in Virgil van Dijk, although Celtic are unwilling to sell until the UEFA Champions League qualifiers are over.