Kieran Tierney was a notable absentee from Arsenal’s squad for the clash with Crystal Palace last night, with Nuno Tavares failing to impress deputising in his role.
The Portuguese came under scrutiny after playing a role in both of the two opening goals in the 3-0 loss at Selhurst Park, eventually being substituted in favour of Gabriel Martinelli at the break, and that performance has led to further worries over the availability of the Scot.
Arteta has now admitted that the former Celtic captain has damage on his knee and that we will await further news on his injury today.
“He came back from international duty and he felt something wrong in his knee,” the Spaniard said after full-time last night (via TalkSPORT).
“We scanned it and there is some damage there.
“He’s seeing the specialist on Tuesday and hopefully we will know more but it’s not looking good.”
On last night’s showing, Tierney’s injury could well be a huge blow to our chances of earning our return to the Champions League. The boss may well have to consider bringing Cedric over to the left once Takehiro Tomiyasu is ready to return, while Bukayo Saka could well be another option also, with Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Nicolas Pepe able to cover on the wings.
Who would you be looking to make the switch to left-back if Tierney was to miss the remainder of the campaign? Could Tavares pick up form with more minutes under his belt?
Patrick