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| Kieran Tierney of Scotland leaves the field after recieving medical treatment during the UEFA Nations League League B Group 1 match between Scotland and Republic of Ireland at Hampden Park National Stadium on September 24, 2022 in Glasgow, Scotland. |
Arsenal have confirmed that defender Kieran Tierney has made an early return to the club after suffering injury on international duty. The left-back was substituted with a head injury in Scotland’s UEFA Nations League clash with Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
The move back to the Emirates Stadium comes as a precaution, with the club set to check over the 25-year-old before making a decision on his availability. It marks a second return from international duty for the Gunners in the space of two days, with midfielder Thomas Partey also coming back to the club.
The Ghana international was set to feature in his nation’s friendly match with Brazil on Friday, but didn’t feature after picking up a knock before the game. It now marks a double concern for Mikel Arteta just one week before a crucial north London derby match against Tottenham.
The pair have both had stop-start beginnings to the season, and are yet to get a run of games under their belts in the opening seven Premier League matches. While Partey has been in and out of the side with injury concerns, Tierney has seen his return to fitness overshadowed by the incoming Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Ukraine international joined in the summer from Manchester City, playing a slightly different role as an inverted full-back, meaning he often plays from a more narrow position in midfield than the flank as expected. His form and the change in role has made it tough for Tierney to break into the side.
In an attempt to take up the new role, the defender joked about looking for tips from compatriot Greg Taylor, who replaced him when leaving Celtic. “Aye, brilliant,” he said on his fellow defender. “Inverted full-back, that’s how we [Arsenal] play down there. I watch him every week, trying to take tips from him.”
While it still may take some time for Tierney to adjust to his new responsibilities at Arsenal, there will be hopes that his head injury won’t have a huge impact on him gaining more experience there on his return.
