Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has admitted that he has spoken to left-back Kieran Tierney about the Scottish international’s game time

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken about Kieran Tierney’s desire to play more first-team football ahead of Thursday evening’s clash against Sporting CP.

The Scottish international had been one of the first names on Arteta’s teamsheet until this season, with summer arrival Oleksandr Zinchenko displacing him in the Spaniard’s preferred starting line-up this season, and has recently been linked with a move to Newcastle among other clubs. Tierney has played just 20 minutes of Premier League action since the turn of the year, but he continues to be the consummate professional according to Arteta.

“Very good because we talked and we discussed the situation and we had a very similar opinion about that”, the Gunners boss told football.london when asked how the talented left-back has reacted to being left out for such a long period of time. “He knows his role – under me he’s played a lot, more than any other player probably compared to the previous players at the club in the last three years and he understands the situation and he needs to challenge the situation.”

“We will try not to rush him back, we will try to make a fair assessment between what he needs and when is comfortable and as well giving the team a boost that it’s going to need in the next few weeks for sure,” he told football.london .

“Everything is going well, he needs time as well to get himself that confidence and that physical state that is necessary to compete with a free mind and once he’s free to do that, we will throw him in.”