Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney is not in the Scotland squad for the upcoming qualifiers versus Cyprus and Kazakhstan later this month.
Steve Clarke told the media on Tuesday afternoon: “Kieran’s got an ongoing issue that Arsenal are keen to address in the next international break and Arsenal asked us not to select him”.
Tierney has been working his way back to full fitness and started just his second Premier League game of the season versus Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The former Celtic man was substituted on the 87th minute and replaced by Sead Kolasinac having looked physically jaded.
TIF Tactics – Managing Tierney’s fitness is key
The 22-year-old underwent a double hernia operation in the summer and is now required to get up to speed with the increased demands of the Premier League whilst simultaneously managing his recovery.
With the Gunners participating in the Europa League, there are plenty of opportunities for Tierney to improve his fitness however, it would not be wrong to suggest, those particular fixtures don’t quite match the intensity in the English top-flight.
Patience with Tierney is key and the young left-back has admitted recently that he feels that his injury concerns have been because he has played too many games for Celtic and Scotland already in his rather short career (Daily Record).
The Scotland international arrived in London with a great reputation and whilst there have been glimpses of what he’s capable of the hope is after this next international break we’ll begin to see a sharper, fitter and more dynamic Tierney.