TIERNEY IS GUNNING FOR BIG ARSENAL COMEBACK
SCOTLAND defender Kieran Tierney is in line to make his long-awaited Arsenal comeback as the Premier League resumes this midweek.
The former Celtic full-back, who moved for £25million last summer, has not played for six months because of a shoulder injury but stepped up his rehabilitation during lockdown. He is now ready to play his first competitive match for manager Mikel Arteta, who replaced Unai Emery at the Emirates in December.
Tierney has played in bounce matches over the past week and will be in the Gunners squad for
Wednesday night’s league match at Manchester City.
The return of Tierney, 23, will be a fillip for Scotland boss Steve Clarke who this week hopes to find out Scotland’s schedule for the unresolved Euro 2020 play-offs.
Speaking last month, Arteta spoke in glowing terms of the young Scot.
‘I’m really looking forward to working with him and giving him the opportunity to play,’ said
Arteta. ‘His attitude, commitment, willingness — it’s incredible.’
AFTER the drought, the deluge. As armchair football fans brace themselves for 92 live English Premier League matches in quick succession, few will squeeze better value from their sports subscriptions than Scotland boss Steve Clarke.
The very first of the closed-door encounters sees Aston Villa host Sheffield United on Wednesday evening. All being well, Villa midfielder John McGinn will play for the first time this year in direct opposition with international colleague John Fleck.
McGinn’s return may not be the only tartan comeback of the night. As Arsenal travel to face Manchester City, there could also be game time for Kieran Tierney, who is finally fit and ready after a laboured start to his career south of the border.
Both players have the potential to wield a huge influence on Clarke’s efforts to steer Scotland to the Euro 2020 finals.
Had the play-off match against Israel not been postponed due to coronavirus in March, it’s doubtful either would have been fit to take his place.
With seven goals in his last six appearances, McGinn has just been crowned the William Hill International Player of the Year but, owing to an ankle injury, has not played since Christmas.
While he would have been touch and go for the Israel match, Tierney (pictured) would definitely have missed out.
The full-back has struggled since his £25million transfer from Celtic last summer and has made just 11 competitive appearances for the London club.
Most recently, he has been sidelined by a shoulder injury but he emerged unscathed from bounce matches against Charlton and Brentford in the past week.
The news that both are back in business is a timely boost for Clarke, who should have a better idea of the revised international calendar after a meeting of
UEFA’s executive committee in midweek.
If there was frustration at coronavirus forcing the postponement of the play-offs, Clarke may ultimately be left with a stronger team, as his assistant Steven Reid acknowledges.
‘For selfish reasons it’s been a bonus and that we are hopefully going to get everyone available and up to speed,’ says Reid. ‘The manager has been to see
Kieran, I have had a little bit of contact with John.
‘You want a full quota to pick from, whenever that might be.’
Having identified a system that maximises the threat of McGinn in an attacking midfield role, the return of Tierney will give Clarke a selection problem that will require more deep thought.
Andy Robertson’s status as captain means Tierney’s favoured left-back berth is occupied but the 23-year-old offers too much to be merely back-up.
At the behest of his club, Tierney has yet to be included in a Clarke squad but after a full year in the job, the coach has made plenty time to talk over his plan for the defender.
‘It’s better to have this problem than not,’ adds Reid. ‘It’s great that we have players at that level, with top clubs. It’s about finding a way to put out the best team we can.
‘My opinion is that Kieran is such a good player that he could play in a few positions. You could probably ask him to do a job in a position he has never played before.
‘I’d imagine his favoured position is left-back but he has the ability, the temperament, to play in numerous positions.
‘It’s good to see him get up to speed and we’ll cross that bridge when we get to the next squad.
‘The manager had a meeting with him. He went down and had a bit of lunch and they had a really positive chat.’
On Friday, Clarke will be able to check on Kenny McLean and Stuart Armstrong, who go head to head as Norwich entertain Southampton, while Scott McTominay is likely to play a prominent role for Manchester United at Tottenham.
By Sunday, Clarke’s old club Chelsea are back and there’s every chance 19-year-old Billy Gilmour will be given the chance to pick up where he left off by Frank Lampard.
Gilmour had provisionally been named in Scot Gemmill’s Under-21 squad in advance of the play-off but, given his mature playmaking performances against Liverpool and Everton in March, there was much intrigue over whether he might earn a fast-track promotion for the play-offs.
Listening to Reid, that would have been a long shot, but Gilmour now has an opportunity to play his way into contention.
‘The way Billy burst on the scene was incredible,’ admits Reid. ‘The maturity in those performances at such a young age — he looks the part. There is no two ways about that. ‘Going forward, it is possibly going to be about getting more experience through games with Chelsea.
‘If he continues what he is doing, it is just going to be a matter of time. You’d be an idiot to say otherwise.’