Kieran Tierney has spoken of his personal frustration after a knee injury ended his season early, leaving him unable to contribute to our ultimately unsuccessful push for a Champions League place.
However, he says that with the help of the Arsenal medical staff, he’s working hard on his comeback and expects to be available for pre-season and the new campaign.
Referencing the injury, which he first felt playing for us and which became a major problem after two internationals in March, he told The Scottish S*n, “We played Wolves at home in February and I felt something in my knee in the first half.
“I told the physios and we tested it, but it was fine and it also wasn’t that sore.
“I carried on playing for Arsenal, then reported for Scotland duty and played twice with no problems. I came back completely fine. Then I was doing some leg exercises in the gym and my left knee clicked.
“I instinctively felt it wasn’t right and that I should probably go for a scan. I wasn’t in any great pain. I’d played for Arsenal and we’d been winning, then for Scotland I got a goal and an assist. So there had been nothing to worry about after that Wolves match.
“But the scan result came back and suddenly I’m needing an op. It was so unfortunate.
“The verdict was 12 weeks — and it was gutting when I realised the games I’d miss for Arsenal and Scotland.”
He was definitely missed during that period, but thankfully it looks as if he’ll be ready and able to start the new season.
“Whenever I have been given a timeframe for recovery I’ve always aimed to get back earlier,” he said. “I push myself as hard as I can, it’s the only way I know.
“I’m a terrible spectator. Not being able to do anything to help the team, I hate it. My target is to be back for the end of June and the start of pre-season at Arsenal. I’m on course for that. My rehab’s going well.
“And I can’t give the Arsenal sports science, fitness and medical staff enough credit. They are absolutely top notch. I couldn’t wish for a better support set-up here.
“Mentally and physically, the club provides every possible back-up for the players.”
It’s the second successive season where an ill-timed injury has seen the 25 year old miss out at a key moment, so let’s hope he can make it third time lucky next time around as we look to improve on the progress we’ve made.
We would have been in the CL if he had been playing the remainder of the season. Great player, good luck to him on getting and staying fit for the years to come.
All teams have an important player injured.
Not all.
We had 3. KT, Tommi, and perma-crock-Partey.
Not all teams fighting for top 4 run as thin of a squad as we did.
It really shows how important it is to have two quality players in every position. We really looked lost without him in the back 4 for a number of games, unfortunately Nuno didn’t really work out, so I’m hoping we sign someone who is good enough to rotate for Tierney for the coming season, especially since we’re going to have alot more games with Europe on the cards. Perhaps Hickey could be that guy! COYG
Really need a good backup or someone who can compete for that side actually because as much as I love Tierney he has only played over 25 games twice in 8 since Celtic days.
8 seasons*
It wouldn’t have been that big a problem had Arteta rotated his squad better. It may not have prevented the injuries to Partey and Tierney but the alternatives would’ve definitely been better prepared to step in.
When you read something brutally like this, I do think it’s really indicative of the way we manage injuries. Tierney said he felt the injury in the first half of the Wolves game, but he wasn’t subbed until the 90th minute. He then had it examined but played the full 90 of all 4 games afterwards. We can then blame Scotland all we like, but had we been a more savvy club we’d have been in Kieran’s ear about managing the knock, medical reports to the Scottish team and doing our absolute utmost to ensure he didn’t play two more… Read more »
I think it’s on Arteta, Tierney and Scotland – everyone knows Tierney is wonderful but will play till he breaks so if he’s feeling something you’ve gotta force him to rest. Scotland play him in two pointless friendlies and now lose him for their world cup playoff and he’s out of our run in (which having him play Champions league would also surely be good for Scotland). Tierney is 25 now and needs to manage his body and minutes better, hopefully Arsenal and Scotland can manage him better and he gets rested for all friendlies and Europa games. That said,… Read more »
My friend a player like Tierney wouldn’t have accepted to sit down when his team is struggling …he might have told them that but I feel ok like he said there was no pain he felt .
Dear Steve Clarke
Quit picking our players for useless friendlies where they invariably sustain season long injuries, you dim witted twat.
I appreciate that useless friendlies constitute about 99% of all the games that Scotland ‘compete’ in, but all the same, you know, just stop, you Chelsea cretin.
By the way, what do you call a Scotsman in the latter stages of the World Cup?
Referee. Good isn’t it? 😂
Sincerely yours
Qwaliteee.
(Gooner, Englishman, World Cup Winner)
McClintock. George Graham. Bob Wilson. Kieran Tierney.
You forgot Charlie Nicholas.
How could you? 😂
And you forgot the Towering Inferno… Big Willie Young.
That tackle on Paul Allen in the 1980 FA Cup Final
I could sit and laugh at a GIF of that all day.
It’s McLintock, actually. 😉
Hahaha thats getting down voted for sure, made me laugh though, kudos!
You’ve gotta have it with the jocks every now and then! 🏴
Rude not to!! 🏴😂
You are everything that is best about the English character.
You can get in the same bin as Piers Morgan
And a happy Hogmanay to yew pal. 😂
You might also consider that due to Steve Clarke, Arsenal are in the same European ‘bin’ as Young Boys and not the one containing Real Madrid, which they might have been had Tierney not played in that meaningless friendly.
Now that is really uncalled for…
Cheers Q. That’s my lunchtime beer all over my phone!
You know, England as “World Cup Winner” is rapidly approaching the “Sunderland, Champions of England” level of antiquity.
Possibly, but try telling a Uruguayan that winning the World Cup in 1930 and 1950 doesn’t mean anything.
OK, I followed your advice and just told a bloke called Luiz that, and he bit me on the shoulder. Not sure what that all means…
Whilst Scotland as “Winners Of Anything” is rapidly approaching the “Big Bang Theory” level of antiquity
Fair warning – wild speculation ahead… I push myself as hard as I can, it’s the only way I know. I know we love this as fans but do wonder if this is actually the cause of the problem whereby he trains at the same intensity he plays games at and might just need to take it a little easier at times in training to allow him to recover. For instance, I remember the story (think it might have been Ian Wright on the podcast?) of Patrick Vieira about how he’d be in training and they’d think he was injured… Read more »
I don’t think this is as manageable as you describe. Simply because these players are competing at the very top level. What can you tell a player when all of them are managing knocks from every game and they scanned the area in question? A lot of these players build confidence and identity through training and games, being able to manage that competitive side of your self isn’t easy and its even harder for the coaching staff to do. I don’t really blame anyone for this injury, I used to blame the scottish NT but if he got it scanned… Read more »
I hope he takes his time to recover. If you’ve played sports you know how it is with nagging injuries. For me it’s my left ankle, just doest like to stay more than a month without a sprain. Stay strong Tierney. We need you.
Yesterday I saw some table showing injury records for this past season for every team and we were among the best teams in the league (in the sense that we were among the teams that had the least injury problems). I didn’t double-check the stats but I think it was quite accurate.
It’s really easy to be biased and feel like we have terrible luck even when that’s not the case at all. I think the major problem aren’t injuries as such but squad depth and who you can call up instead of those missing players.
You’re in danger of letting the facts get in the way of the narrative. Don’t try this on the internet.
Yea the table doesn’t show how useful those injured players were, or which games they missed. In numbers we had a VERY good year with injuries, but when they happened it was the worst games. First 3 games had big names missing, then at the run in, when the pressure was at its highest we had our midfield base, LB AND RB injured at the same time. This was the unlucky part, not the amount, but the timing. I also think that our injury numbers are lower because of how thin our squad is, many players pushed to get back… Read more »
Get Zaha who is in final year of contract (would aid Martinelli development as zaha nearing 30), marqinho, jesus, tielemans and hickey – 150 mil, sell the players we have no plans for should generate 50 mil – board need to back arteta and im sure thry will given they almost spent 70mil for vlahovic, saved wages supposedly, with this we should manage in europa and epl
We really don’t need Zaha to push Martinelli onto the bench – and to give Palace money to spend to boot! If it’s a rangy, athletic, in-yer-face English goal-scorer you’re after, there’s a gooner fan over in Italy who’s just broken a 60 year old record for most goals scored. Bloke we coulda had at the beginning of the season for a bargain 32m squid!
Top guy, top player. Get yer arse back asap! We need his drive and commitment.
Art n Edu make sure you get a proper backup/depth option for LB please.
Let’s just get someone who will stay fit as long as possible.
Hoping for a full recovery. . . and a tad more common sense re training intensity and participation in friendlies.
I really love him. But we as a club has to take in to account his injuries much more seriously. So we are not reliant on him. The same with Partey. Imagine we had had the propper back up on those two positions this year…
Losing Tierney is not too much of a surprise, but we had one of the lowest injury counts in the league. It could have been another player that we lost instead.
In reality the squad was just too shallow. I understand why, with so few matches to play, but it was a risk in the 2nd half of the season that backfired.
Truth! But after that brutal January, locking down a Europa League slot with games to spare would have seemed a long shot. I think we won that gamble. EL is where we should be next season, and will provide excellent opportunities for our young guys and squad players to succeed.
Ramsey/Wilshere redux. Great when he plays, doesn’t play enough,
All hail Steve Clarke….. the “wise one”🤦♂️
It’s a shame that Tierney wasn’t around in training to help Nuno develop. Perhaps Xhakas replacement will be a better on field partner for him.
Not sure how much we can rely on KT’s fitness as he comes back from injury.
Great player but I am sorry if a player can’t stay fit consistently then we should ask their greatness. I loved Rosicky but we just couldn’t depend on him. Similar to Van Persie before his one season wonder. We should seriously be thinking of a back up and if Tierney can’t stay fit move him on.
I like all of Tierney’s qualities his attitude, football abilities, his obvious respect and love of the club and fans but being absolutely clinical he is a player that is injury prone, and the likelihood is this will continue even allowing for rotation if possible, its not easy to have a like for like replacement on the bench. I’d replace him.
Same goes for Thomas again not an easy ask