Arteta fears losing a vital defender due to long-term injury

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta fears he could lose one of his vital defenders to long-term injury.

Mikel Arteta reveals Scottish left-back Kieran Tierney is set for an MRI scan for the muscle injury he suffered last evening.

Tierney was one of the in-form players who helped Arsenal secure four back-to-back wins in all competitions.

He scored one goal and noted three assists in his last four appearances for the Gunners as they also three clean sheets at the same time.

However, he had to pull off just a few hours before kick-off against Crystal Palace on Thursday night. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.

“Tierney had some muscle soreness, he didn’t recover well and wasn’t comfortable to start the game and in this period we can’t take the risk,” Arteta said via Standard.

“He’s a real threat and the way we attack on the left is really important, but he wasn’t here and we need to find other solutions.

“It is a challenge when you have created a game plan for the day and a few hours before the game he has to pull out.

“Kieran’s progression in the last few months has been incredible and now it is time for another player to step in. He’s going to have an MRI scan tomorrow and see how he is.

“We don’t know [how long he will be out for], we will probably know more [on Friday] after testing him and how long he is going to be out for.

“It was a big disappointment to lose him and hopefully he will be back with us shortly.”