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Ben Banks

Emilio Izaguirre explains Celtic bromance with Kieran Tierney and how he 'prepared' pal for Arsenal

Emilio Izaguirre insists his goal in his new job is to help players develop like he did with Kieran Tierney at Celtic.

The Honduran is just as proud of helping his fellow left-back develop into the Premier League star he is today at Arsenal, and the pair have kept in contact since their Parkhead days. Izaguirre was this week named sporting director of boyhood club Motagua and opened up on his relationship with the Celtic academy product.

He told Diez: "I remember that at Celtic in 2015 they gave me three boys to train like me, eat what I ate. There I realised that it was not to be directing, but for something bigger. In two years I prepared Kieran Tierney, who went to Arsenal. This is how my desire to prepare athletes and have the structure, not only of one, but of many to send abroad, to hire good players for the team.

READ MORE: Rangers hero Barry Ferguson hits back at Jason Cundy's Celtic 'fourth tier' talkSPORT radio rant

"They were in the U15s and U17s for Celtic. They are left-handed and they began to train with me and do everything I did because they saw that I was a very professional player in the field.

"My desire is to prepare and sell athletes and thus feel proud, as with Tierney. I feel happy that today an Arsenal boy writes to me every time I greet him.

"That he sends me shirts and invites me to games. That is the pride that one feels, to know that he had a part in the career of those athletes and in the institution."

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