Kieran Tierney is set to play a crucial part in Arsenal title run-in as the Scotland defender looks to fill in for injured Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The former Celtic left-back has struggled for game time this season at the Emirates after manager Mikel Arteta preferred the Ukrainian in the full-back position. Tierney has had to bide his time with minutes limited to cup games and substitute appearances in the English Premier League. Zinchenko's muscle injury is set to keep him out of action for a number of weeks, according to Arteta which could see Tierney given more game time.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke will be delighted to see one of his top players getting more minutes in the lead up to the crucial Euro 2024 qualifiers against Norway and Georgia in June. Going into the double header against Cyprus and Spain, Tierney had only started a handful of games in the league. He started in the 2-2 draw with West Ham on Sunday and is expected to get the nod against Southampton on Friday evening.
Asked about Zinchenko, Arteta said: "We’ll see about that one as well, it’s not certain. It’s a muscular injury and it needs some time to heal and we’re not there yet."
Arteta was also probed on Rob Holding and Tierney in his pre-match press conference, he said: "Their contribution is huge. First of all the way they behave around the team, how patient they have been, and when they have to play what they have produced in terms of performances.
"Now, they are playing more games, they are playing more minutes and will continue to do so. This is why you need top-quality players with the right mentality to be ready when you need them on the pitch, and when you are not using them that much, to contribute to the team in the right way. Those two are great examples of that."
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