Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney has been left out of Steve Clarke's Scotland squad ahead of their upcoming World Cup play-off clash against Ukraine.
The talented left-back missed the last part of the 2021/22 campaign after picking up a knee injury back in April, missing the Gunners' final ten Premier League clashes as Mikel Arteta's side narrowly missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification, with local rivals Tottenham Hotspur pipping them to fourth. Now, Tierney will also miss out on The Tartan Army's Qatar 2022 World Cup play-off clash against Ukraine, which is due to take place on June 1.
If Steve Clarke's men are able to beat Ukraine, they will then face Wales in the final, with the winner heading to the 2022 World Cup, where they would be in a group with England, Iran and USA. Tierney successfully underwent surgery last month, thanking his fans for their messages of support and informing them it had all gone to plan.
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“Op went well. Thank you so much for all the messages of support. Really appreciate it,” he wrote on Instagram.
The 24-year-old is one of the favourites to become the next captain of Arsenal given Alexandre Lacazette is expected to leave when his contract expires at the end of next month and Martin Keown thinks the former Celtic star would make an excellent skipper. "Now Arteta has acted, he's got the chance to select his own skipper," Keown wrote in his Daily Mail column.
"Under his management, I believe Kieran Tierney has been the standout player who could fulfil that role."
