Arsenal star Kieran Tierney was involved in a post-match recovery session following the 6-0 win over Sevilla at the Emirates Stadium.
Tierney picked up a knee injury that saw him miss the run-in at the end of the 2021/22 season. The Scotland international then suffered a setback in his recovery in the friendly against Nurnberg at the start of pre-season.
The arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko is set to challenge the Scotland international for a starting spot in Mikel Arteta's team, with the new arrival likely to start the season as Tierney continues his recovery. Tierney has been unable to feature during Arsenal's impressive Premier League preparation games, but has taken further steps towards a return after being involved in first team training and the recovery session after the Emirates Cup win.
READ MORE: Martin Odegaard's first words after being named Arsenal captain following 6-0 Sevilla drubbing
Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah saw the Gunners cruise to victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Tierney watched from the bench. The 25-year-old was pictured being put through his paces in the post-match recovery session as he looks to return to full fitness and challenge Zinchenko for a starting spot before the end of the month.
Tierney was a candidate to become the new club captain, but his injury record may have hampered his chances with Martin Odegaard being confirmed the new leading man for the Gunners. Odegaard admitted it is a "proud moment" for him, but the 23-year-old was quick to add that all players need to show leadership if the Gunners are to achieve their goals next season.
"Of course it’s important that we all take leadership, it’s not just about me or a few people but I think everyone needs to take the leadership and do what’s best for the team, so everyone has to do that," Odegaard said following the win against Sevilla. Tierney is likely to miss out on the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace with manager Mikel Arteta commenting on the injuries facing Arsenal ahead of the new campaign.
"I think that most of them will be," the Spaniard said when asked if the likes of Tierney, Fabio Vieira and Takehiro Tomiyasu will be fit in time for the start of the 2022/23 season. Arteta added: "They’ll have to go through what they need to this week and then hopefully we’ll have them available. They are lacking minutes but we’ll have to build that up like any other injury that we get during the season."
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