Arteta delighted by Tierney’s return to fitness

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Kieran Tierney has returned to full fitness and will be part of the Arsenal squad that faces Sporting Lisbon tomorrow night.

The full-back has been sidelined since June when he tore his hamstring during Scotland’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland at the European Championships; an injury that killed off any chances of a summer move following a decent loan spell last season with Real Sociedad.

“We have Kieran Tierney after a long injury,” said Arteta in his pre-game press conference.  

“It’s great news that he’s back, he’s been training with the team and he’s available to participate.”

While it’s unlikely the Gunners will call on the Scotland international unless there’s an emergency, the 27-year-old’s return to the bench will likely provide a timely boost as he looks to turn the eye of potential suitors in January.

As things stand, only Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are missing for the Gunners. Both players have knee problems and are expected to be out for the foreseeable future. On the plus side, Myles Lewis-Skelly, who missed Saturday’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, is back in contention.

Sporting Lisbon are no strangers to Arteta who experienced defeat against the Portuguese side in the knockout stages of the Europa League in March 2023. While that double-header wasn’t long ago, tomorrow’s team is likely to have a very different look to the one that drew 2-2 in Lisbon 18 months ago.

“It’s always a good exercise to see the team a few years back,” said Arteta when asked about his team’s progress since that result.

“I watched both games just to have an understanding of how we prepared and what worked and what didn’t and it’s difficult to recognise a team two years later.

“You tend to see and look at the game and other stuff in a different way but it was good. It seems longer ago, to be fair, in a way. But here we are again.

“The good news is we are now in a different competition, a competition that we really want to be in. And be dominant and be important. And this is what we are looking for.”