Arsenal Loses Impact Player To Injury, Doubtful For Newcastle Game

Arsenal could be without a key defender in Kieran Tierney for the visit of Newcastle United on Monday after the prolific left-back missed the Gunners’ 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Thursday.

Head coach Mikel Arteta explained that the Scottish defender was left out of the lineup prior to kick-off as a precaution after complaining of muscle soreness.

“Well, he had some muscle soreness. He hasn’t recovered well and he wasn’t comfortable to start the game," Arteta said, as quoted on Football London. "And in this period, we cannot take the risk."

The 23-year-old has been instrumental in Arsenal’s recent resurgence, which has seen the Gunners win four out of its last five matches in all competitions.

During that span, the Scottish standout has contributed one goal and two assists in his last three league appearances before sitting out the Crystal Palace game.

Arteta is unsure if Tierney will be available after receiving an update that the player has yet to undergo an MRI scan to assess the extent of his injury.

The manager acknowledged that Tierney's absence would affect their game plan both offensively and defensively in their upcoming match.

“I don’t know. It depends how he evolves. He’s going to have an MRI scan tomorrow and we’ll see how he is,” Arteta told Arseblog.

“Yeah, he’s a real threat with the way we are playing and the way we attack on that left side. He’s a really important player. We didn’t have him, he’s injured and we have to find other solutions,” he added.