Kieran Tierney was called upon by Arsenal this afternoon away at Everton.
The Celtic-bound defender may have barely started for the Gunners this season but he has been sporadically brought in by manager Mikel Arteta for minutes here and there.
Tierney’s card was marked before Real Madrid come to town next week with the Scotland cap believed to be in line for a spot in the Arsenal squad at the Emirates in the Champions League.
Arteta had been worried about his side’s injury problems mounting with defensive players sidelined in Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Gabi Magalhaes.
Kieran Tierney may not start for Arsenal vs Real Madrid after all
But after this afternoon’s clash with the Toffees at Goodison Park, those fears seem to have been allayed by the return of two of those players in White and Timber.
Tierney started on the bench before coming on around the 77 minute mark but it might have pointed towards the left-back, 27, no longer being needed to play from the start against the Galacticos.
KT’s Champions League experience dwarfs that of Myles Lewis-Skelly who has been Arteta’s go-to at left-back while Calafiori has been injured.
He may only have been used sparingly by Arteta in the competition but he earned plaudits for performances at Celtic on the grandest stage of European football.
Tierney’s Arsenal minutes have been limited before Celtic move
Tierney has done well enough for the North London giants when asked to play by the manager who refused to sanction his January Celtic move.
That was to avoid losing experience at left-back but the Spaniard has made a mockery of the situation by barely picking KT from the start even when his first choice was ruled out.
Tierney will likely be buzzing to get back to Glasgow and play in the Scottish Premiership and UCL with his boyhood club having tested himself already in the Premier League.
His lack of action has not kept the man down, though, as Tierney recently revealed he doesn’t struggle for motivation.
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