Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s troubles with injuries in his squad have rocketed after Kieran Tierney became the latest Gunner to withdraw from his national team Scotland owning to a knock....CONTINUE READING
The North London derby, which will also be a first vs third contest is just five days away and Arsenal are already plagued with a number of injuries.
Tierney became the second player after Thomas Partey to return to club mid-way through the international break due to an injury.
Furthermore, the left-back along with Partey now joins other Arsenal players Emile Smith Rowe, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Martin Odegaard, Cedric Soares and Reiss Nelson who are a doubt for the derby, whereas Mohamed Elneny is ruled out until January.
Arteta has serious issues to deal with as the club’s top spot is a risk if they fail to produce a positive result against a rejuvenated Spurs at home.
Arteta had a glowing summer transfer market as he brought in some crucial players which were termed as the missing pieces of his jigsaw. Versatile left-back Zinchenko was one of the those signings as his relentless push forward benefitted the Gunners massively.
Moreover, he was deemed as a perfect replacement of the injury-prone Kieran Tierney who despite his solid game play has failed to become a consistent starter.
However, both Zinchenko and Tierney have now suffered knocks and are doubtful for selection against Spurs. While Zinchenko suffered a calf injury prior to the international break and has already missed 3 games so far, Tierney has a known history of frequently picking knocks.
The 25-year-old now sustained a head knock while representing Scotland in the Nations League against Republic of Ireland.
However, an official statement from Arsenal said that Tierney had to be subbed-off as a precaution late in the first-half itself after he suffered the knock. The club statement has instilled some hope that the left-back could be available to feature against Spurs on October 1.
GOAL’s Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts has further revealed that Zinchenko has remained at the club during the international break, snubbing Ukraine’s Nations League fixtures against Scotland and Armenia.
But some positive news there as well, with Watts further claiming that Zinchenko too should make the North London Derby. It will only be confirmed a day before the derby however whether or not Arteta is able to include both his left-backs in the squad.
On the other hand, his injury woes run deep than just the two of them, as Partey, Smith Rowe and Odegaard to are yet to be declared fit to feature against Tottenham.
Kieran Tierney would certainly be frustrated as he hasn’t been allowed a breather by the recurring injuries he has had since making a move to the Emirates back in 2019 from Celtic.
Considered as a promising prospect whose playing style fit in perfectly right away with the Premier League, Tierney has failed to reach his full potential.
He has missed 48 games so far for the Gunners, forcing them to dig deep in the transfer market to sign am astute replacement.
