Kieran Tierney 'in no rush' to leave Celtic, says Virgil van Dijk

Celtic starlet Kieran Tierney is flourishing at Parkhead and should not "rush" to leave the Scottish giants amid interest from Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool, according to Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk.

Tierney has courted interest from some of the Premier League's top clubs ever since he made his debut for the Bhoys under Ronny Deila in 2015. The Scotland international captained his country during their 1-0 friendly defeat by the Netherlands on Thursday (9 November), and recently signed a new six-year contract with Brendan Rodgers' men.

The Celtic full-back's stock has risen considerably in recent months and was linked with a move to Manchester United, who are looking to replace forgotten man Luke Shaw during the summer transfer window.

Tottenham were also rumoured to be keen amid uncertainty over the future of Danny Rose – Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has garnered a fine reputation for developing young players during his time in north London – while Liverpool were said to be monitoring the young Scot and could reignite any lingering interest with summer recruit Andrew Robertson failing to displace the improving but questionable Alberto Moreno.

A move to United, Tottenham or Liverpool never materialised for Tierney, much to Celtic's delight, and his former teammate Van Dijk thinks the 20-year-old does not need to worry about a move to the Premier League, advising him to instead concentrate on his already rapid development.

"He's [Tierney] been doing very well and I think Celtic are very smart to tie him down for the next six years," Van Dijk was quoted as saying by the Sunday Post. "It's good to see him as the captain as well.

"I can remember that day he made his debut at Dundee. Since then he has been progressing every game. He was the captain of his country and that's very special at 20 years old.

"I don't even know if he wants to go to the Premier League. Celtic is an amazing club for him as well and I don't think there is any rush for him to leave."

Van Dijk's comments seem a touch ironic given how desperate he was to leave Southampton for Liverpool in the summer transfer window, but Tierney would be wise to remain with Celtic and learn from the mistakes of Shaw, whose career is now in the wilderness after a rather disastrous spell with United.

Jose Mourinho's side have also been linked with Tottenham's Rose in recent months, but Tierney would presumably command a lesser fee than the England international despite having just signed a six-year contract with the Scottish champions.