Arsenal star Kieran Tierney has been backed by Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish to fight for his place and future at the Emirates Stadium. It comes as the once ever-present Scottish defender has struggled to fight his way into the side so far during the title chasing campaign.
Tierney has been handed just four starts in the Premier League by Mikel Arteta, having been ousted by Oleksandr Zinchenko since his arrival from Manchester City. The 25-year-old has had to adjust towards playing an inverted full-back role that is more natural to his Ukrainian counterpart.
“I don’t know, I’m not thinking about that," Arteta responded when asked about the future of Tierney last month. “I’m thinking about what’s best for the team and the players who earn the right to play minutes, that they all deserve. We’re going to try and do that in the next couple of games.”
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With the lack of minutes, plenty of discussions have centred around a potential exit for the left-back in the summer transfer window. One of those sides being linked is Newcastle United, with reports claiming that the Gunners will slap on a £25million price tag on the defender.
Amid such rumours, former Liverpool man Dalglish believes that Tierney can still fight for his place in the Arsenal team. He told the Sunday Post: "Kieran was left out initially because he was injured, and the player who came in for him has done well.
"Mikel Arteta probably decided to sign Zinchenko because he wants Arsenal to play the same way as Manchester City, with the full-backs playing on the inside rather than outside. Zinchenko was taught that way at City, so he is used to it.
"Kieran is not. That does not mean to say Kieran has gone backwards as a player. It is just someone else has been a wee bit better.
"He will respect where he is, and he will respect the boy got in when he was injured and nicked a step in front of him. He would expect to do the same himself. We have seen what Kieran can do in the minutes he has had for them setting up a goal against Crystal Palace last week.
"Now he is with Scotland and it is a great opportunity for him to put his case forward for Arsenal."
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