Arsenal 's Kieran Tierney is "likely" to miss the rest of the season as he undergoes surgery on a knee injury.
The left-back missed the 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Monday night and Mikel Arteta was pessimistic about his chances of returning before the campaign ended. It has now been confirmed that, after scans, the Scot will almost certainly sit out the remainder of the current season in what is a major blow for the Gunners.
Tierney has been a hugely consistent performer since arriving from Celtic in 2019 and has been a crucial figure for Arteta. Arsenal have confirmed his surgery will take place in London in the coming days before he begins a rehab programme. At that point the club's medical team will be able to establish a timeframe for his recovery, but it is unlikely he will play again until next season.
Arsenal are chasing the top four with rivals Tottenham and Manchester United also involved in the race. Arteta saw his side beaten 3-0 at Crystal Palace on Monday night which meant they remain in fifth. Tierney's absence saw Nuno Tavares fill in, but the young full-back struggled and was hooked at full-time.
Scotland could also suffer from Tierney's absence as they attempt to make the World Cup. They still have to face Ukraine in a play-off which could then see them take on Wales. The winner of that game will head to Qatar and play in a group that features England. Tierney twice played 90 minutes during the recent international break as the Scots faced Poland and Austria.
Arsenal's week has further been compounded by the news of Tierney's injury. The left-back has made 25 appearances across all competitions this season. It leaves Arteta looking for solutions as he attempts to lift his team following the defeat at Selhurst Park.
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Speaking after the loss he said: "We weren’t at the races today, especially in the first half. We were late to every ball, we were soft in the duels and we didn’t earn the right to play, and when we did a little bit we were sloppy on the ball.
"We didn’t have any dominance or sequences of play when we could take control of the game and we conceded two poor goals as well, so overall it’s unacceptable. We need to put our hands up, apologies, regroup, and tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to prepare for the game against Brighton.
Arteta continued: "We are talking all the time about the race for the top four and the boys have been performing extremely well and getting the results and playing really well. Today we didn’t perform and it’s as simple as that, we were second best in every department, especially in the first half, and when we tried to change in the second half."
