Kieran Tierney looks set to play a huge part in Arsenal's quest to land the English Premier League title.
The Celtic diehard has struggled for a consistent run of minutes in Mikel Arteta's side this season due to the form of summer recruit Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City. The Gunners are in a huge title tussle with Pep Guardiola's men with the top two set for a big showdown next midweek and Tierney looks ready to play a key role in the games ahead.
The Scotland international was handed a rare start in the 2-2 draw with West Ham due to injury ruling Zinchenko out and it would appear he will spend more time on the sidelines due to a muscle injury that 'needs some time' to heal. Former Rangers midfielder Arteta has hailed the former Hoops defender and his contribution as 'huge' along with his overall professionalism.
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On Zinchenko returning to face Southampton, Arteta explained to the Arsenal website : "We’ll see about that one as well, it’s not certain. It’s a muscular injury and it needs some time to heal and we’re not there yet."
On Rob Holding and Tierney, he added: "Their contribution is huge. First of all the way they behave around the team, how patient they have been, and when they have to play what they have produced in terms of performances.
"Now, they are playing more games, they are playing more minutes and will continue to do so. This is why you need top-quality players with the right mentality to be ready when you need them on the pitch, and when you are not using them that much, to contribute to the team in the right way. Those two are great examples of that."
Arsenal are back in league action on Friday night when they face the Saints before next week's huge Manchester City clash.
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