Kieran Tierney is nearing a return to fitness as he takes part in training on Arsenal’s training camp in Dubai over the winter break.
The 22-year-old has struggled with injury since arriving from Celtic in the summer, making just five Premier League appearances for the Gunners so far.
He last started a game on 9 December against West Ham, but suffered a dislocated shoulder and has not featured since.
The Scotland international looks to be closing in on a return after being pictured sprinting and training with the ball in Dubai, after doing the same at Arsenal’s training centre at London Colney at the end of last month.
The last injury update from the club on the left-back was that he was unlikely to return to full training until March after undergoing an operation on his shoulder in December.
He will be hoping to be back quicker than this, but although he is back running and playing with the ball, he has not been seen in contact with other players in training.
Arsenal’s head of performance Shad Forsythe told Arsenal.com that he expects Tierney to be fully match fit as soon as his shoulder will allow him to play.
‘We have Kieran Tierney who’s rehabbing a shoulder injury so there’s quite a few things Kieran can do with the team, with the ball as long as he’s not really in contact right now so it’s really important we have our whole staff and team here together to bring all the players that we can to be here together as well,’ said Forsythe.
‘The great thing, if there ever is a great thing about having a shoulder injury verse a lower limb injury in football is that we run.
‘Kieran’s probably going to come back in very, very fit and in shape from a running perspective because he’s been doing tonnes of running or different patterns, ball work, things for his position specifically and also talking to Mikel [Arteta] and the coaches and building things that’ll have him ready to step in and perform in his position.’
Arsenal are back in action after the winter break at home to Newcastle on 16 February, and that will come too soon for the former Celtic man.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta could welcome back two other full-back options in that contest, though, with Cedric Soares and Sead Kolasinac returning from injury.
Soares arrived on loan from Southampton in the January transfer window and is likely to be back from the knee problem he has been struggling with, while Kolasinac has been hampered with a thigh strain, but should return against the Magpies.
Reiss Nelson should also be available for that game, but it is unclear to the extent of Bukayo Saka’s problem after suffering hip and knee complaints last time out.
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