‘He’s going to give us so much’: Arteta hails Arsenal gem with ‘incredible attitude’, could feature today

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has raved about Gunners defender Kieran Tierney ahead of Saturday’s return to Premier League action (Arsenal.com).

The left-back joined Arsenal last summer from Celtic in a reported £25million deal, arriving at the Emirates Stadium to much fanfare given his heroics for the Scottish Premiership team.

However, Tierney – who was nursing a hip problem when he joined the Gunners – made just 12 senior appearances prior to the suspension of English football.

After a taste of first-team action in the closing months of 2019, the 23-year-old picked up a shoulder injury midway through December which kept him out of action since.

With the Premier League’s three-month hiatus now over, Tierney was back in action on Wednesday and was one of Arsenal’s best players in the 3-0 loss at Manchester City.

“I think he was very good to have a ‘debut’ after such a long time against that kind of opposition without any pre-season or games beforehand,” Arteta told Arsenal.com.

“It was a tough game for him and I think he did really well, and it was even tougher when I asked him to play as a centre-back when we lost David as well because we didn’t have other options.

“Listen, it’s a joy to work with him and he’s a kid that again has an incredible attitude, he’s going to give us so much and I’m pleased to have him in the team.”

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Tierney’s maiden season at the Emirates Stadium hasn’t gone smoothly by any means but he now looks fit again and showed what he’s capable of in one of the toughest fixtures in English football, and with little pre-restart preparations.

With Arsenal now heading to Brighton, Tierney is likely to feature again, either at left-back or perhaps even in central defence, a position he’s shown he’s more than capable of slotting into.

Long-term, the Gunners really have got themselves a gem, and for Arteta to praise him so highly speaks volumes of his talents and character.