Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told Football London that he has worked hard to show Kieran Tierney that he really likes him.
Tierney endured a difficult start to life at Arsenal, with persistent injuries blocking his progress.
The Scottish full-back has earned a lot of praise for his performances since the Premier League restart though, with his aggressive and tenacious displays catching the eye.
Tierney was in fine form again for Arsenal at the weekend, as they caused an upset and beat Manchester City 2-0 in the FA Cup semi-final.
Tierney put Pierre Emerick Aubameyang through for Arsenal’s second goal of the contest, and Arteta is now a huge fan of the £25 million signing brought in by Unai Emery.
“I think I can talk with all the staff, we are all delighted with him,” Arteta said.
“He’s a joy of a kid. He’s always willing to do more, he always wants to train harder, always pushing himself more.
“He had some difficult moments since he joined but hopefully now he feels that we really like him, really support him and really appreciate everything he’s doing since we joined. So for me he’s a player who’s a really good role model for any other player in the squad.”
Arsenal now look to have landed a real bargain with Tierney, as a defender of his quality usually would cost a fortune in the modern market.
Whether Tierney will be in action later this evening for Arsenal remains to be seen.
The Gunners are due to take on Aston Villa this season, but Arteta may choose to rotate his side, to protect against fatigue after a gruelling match at Wembley just three days ago.
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