Kieran Tierney faces an even harder quest to be Arsenal's first choice left-back after boss Mikel Arteta sang the praises of Takehiro Tomiyasu following his performance in the north London side's 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday.
The Gunners have had a terrific start to the season and sit top of the English Premier League. And most fans would have expected Tierney to start against the Merseyside club following numerous impressive performances this season, especially with Oleksander Zinchenko absent with a knock. However, it was Tomiyasu who got the nod from Arteta in a decision split opinion prior to the game.
Asked about the 23-year-old's performance, Arteta admitted Tomiyasu implemented exactly what he had wanted despite playing out of position as he waxed lyrical about the £18million summer signing. He said: “Very good. That’s what we hoped he would do and he did that. To think about doing that against Salah and actually doing it is a different story. Especially after playing on Thursday and what he’s been through in the past few weeks.”
Tierney has long been linked with a move to Manchester City for around £60m although Arteta recently refused to comment on the former Celtic star's future. And he may have to get used to being in and out of the Gunners starting XI as they look to balance a hefty schedule before the World Cup kicks-off next month.
With Leeds United coming up next, there’s a good chance that Tomiyasu could retain his position ahead of the trip to Elland Road, with Tierney likely to feature in midweek as they make the trip to Norway ahead of a Europa League clash with Bodo/Glimt. That leaves question marks over his immediate future as the Scotland defender tumbles down the pecking order despite penning a new bumper five-year-deal just last year.
