Kieran Tierney’s return to competitive action in a Celtic shirt was one of the few bright spots during Sunday’s narrow win over St Mirren, with the full-back delivering a strong performance before being subbed off just after the hour mark.

Thankfully, Brendan Rodgers was quick to allay any fears of injury, revealing post-match that Tierney had simply gone down with cramp after an intense outing. It was a relief for supporters, who had been desperate to see the former academy graduate pull on the green and white again after a summer move from Arsenal.

In the first half, Tierney looked like he had never been away. He had more touches than any other player on the pitch and was central to much of Celtic’s attacking play, with the majority of their threat coming down the left-hand side. The 27-year-old’s trademark drive and delivery were on display, with his overlaps providing several early balls into the box.

But while his energy and defensive nous remain beyond question, Chris Sutton has raised a point that may shape how Rodgers sets his team up in the coming weeks. Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Celtic striker questioned whether Tierney can perform the same inverted role that Greg Taylor operated so effectively in last season.

Taylor’s ability to tuck inside and form a midfield pivot alongside Callum McGregor helped Celtic dominate the ball in many matches. It’s an aspect of modern full-back play Tierney hasn’t yet nailed, something that perhaps cost him minutes at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, Sutton thinks.

The pundit said:  “I think all Celtic fans really excited to see him back, brilliant to see him back.

“I suppose it was more the role that he plays. We know he’s a good one-to-one defender, but in that attacking sense and the way that Greg Taylor played that role, more inverted. We saw Kieran yesterday, especially, he played more of a conventional role.

“Taylor was brilliant at sort of drifting across and sitting in alongside Callum McGregor, making the play. But he was a wonderful footballer. It’s maybe something why Kieran Tierney didn’t play enough at Arsenal because he couldn’t play that role as well.

“But I think there’s one to watch in weeks to come. We saw yesterday Kieran just play sort of out wide, give him that thrust down the left and Adam Idah as the central striker and early crosses and plenty of touches in the first half. I think he had the most touches in the first half, 65 minutes under his belt and he’s just going to get better and better.

“But I think the way that Brendan uses him, it’s going to be really interesting to see whether he goes back to sort of trying to move him into that inverted role or sort of mixes and matches with him playing out wide.”