Scotland have been dealt a blow ahead of next month’s crunch World Cup qualifying double-header with Moldova and Denmark with Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney a doubt ater picking up an ankle injury.
The £25million defender missed the Gunners’ 3-1 win over Aston Villa last night, with Nuno Tavares taking his place in the Arsenal starting XI as goals from Thomas Partey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Emile Smith Rowe secured a comfortable three points.
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is unsure how long the Scotland star is going to be out of action but confirmed forced him out of training earlier in the week as he now sweats over the fitness of his first-choice left-back.
“We don’t know how long he’s going to be out, he could not carry on the other day and he wasn’t available to play,” Arteta said after his side’s win last night.
So far, Arsenal have only described the injury to Tierney as a “bruised ankle” but with only a few weeks until Scotland take on Moldova and Denmark, Steve Clarke will anxiously be waiting for updates on his fitness.
With Scotland needing to win one of the two upcoming games to secure a playoff spot for next year’s World Cup in Qatar, having all of his key players available will be massive for Scotland – although if Tierney misses out it could hand a chance to the likes of Scott McKenna.
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