Mikel Arteta has said that Kieran Tierney was ‘not close at all’ to playing against Wolves in what sounds like a concerning update.
Kieran Tierney was not included in Arsenal’s squad against Wolves for the latest calamity to befall this season. Before the game Mikel Arteta had said he was waiting to see how Tierney was in training but it seems as if his right calf is holding him back.
Asked about if the defender was close too featuring against Wolves, Arteta replied, “He wasn’t close [to playing] at all.
Arteta on Tierney: "He wasn’t close [to playing] at all."
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) February 2, 2021
“Hopefully in the next few days he feels much better and he can come in the team and help us in this moment where we have so many games.”
Tierney picked up the problem in his right calf after the game against Newcastle on 18 January.
Speaking to the press before Arsenal’s game against Wolves, Mikel Arteta said, “We don’t know yet [if Tierney and Bukayo Saka will return].
“Today we’ve got a training session and they haven’t been able to train with us yet, so I think it will be really difficult for them. But I don’t know, we’re going to try to last-minute see how they are feeling.”
Later on, Arsenal issued another update, stating, “Kieran is continuing to be assessed for discomfort in the right lower leg. Kieran is unavailable for Tuesday’s match.”