Kieran Tierney is doing all he can to hold on to a regular place in Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side following his return to the side.
The Gunners star was dislodged at left-back at the start of this season following the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has flourished since his move from Manchester City. Injuries have hampered Zinchenko towards the back end of the year however, opening the door for Tierney to stake his claim again.
The Scot was in good form during Arsenal's 2-1 friendly win over AC Milan on Tuesday as they prepare for the return of domestic football next week. And Tierney thrived in a new role as an inverted full-back in Arteta's tactics.
It's a feature that has become increasingly popular in the Premier League, with Man City's Joao Cancelo and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold the standout examples of full-backs who take up more central roles to help overload the midfield area and contribute more to attacks.
While the role arguably suits Zinchenko more, given his ability to also play in central midfield and as a No.10 (with Ukraine's national team), Tierney has also shown he has what it takes to be an asset under Arteta's instructions. During the clash with Milan, he frequently took up positions in central areas, helping to break the lines between defence and attack and often acting as a playmaker.
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At one point, Tierney had moved into a central role, received the ball on the half turn from one of Arsenal's centre-backs, before bursting forward and switching play superbly out to the right wing. In another instance, he roamed into an area where you'd more likely find a defensive midfielder to collect the ball from Mohamed Elneny, who was deep in Arsenal's right-back space, before shifting the ball out to the opposite flank.
On numerous occasions Tierney found himself in advanced positions, often with his back to goal, but calmly linked up play effortlessly. It will have no doubt buoyed Arteta, whose brand of football has propelled Arsenal to top of the table ahead of the post-World Cup restart.
Tierney's growing influence in the role provides his manager with more confidence in the depth of his squad whilst also opening up the prospect of using Zinchenko elsewhere on the field. It's no real surprise Tierney was a force going forward for his side in their recent friendly, though, given his outstanding display against FC Zurich last month where he scored the only goal.
Arteta has used Tierney on the left of a four-man midfield in a 3-4-3 formation previously, which sees him take up similar positions on the field. But his willingness to come inside to contribute to build-up play is a clear indication of the direction Arteta sees his team going in and the greater demands he expects from his full-backs.
Arsenal face Juventus in their third friendly of the break on Saturday, with Tierney in contention for another run-out while Zinchenko is battling to overcome a minor injury - and he'll no doubt be hoping to keep his name on the teamsheet.
