Danny Murphy has admitted that Arsenal have a top player in Kieran Tierney – but claimed that he’ll never reach the level that Andy Robertson has for Liverpool.
Robertson, an £8 million signing in 2017, is arguably the finest left-back in Europe right now after helping Liverpool to a first-ever Premier League title this past season, a year after winning the Champions League with Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Tierney, who joined Arsenal for £25 million last summer, was having a rotten first season in North London before football resumed in June.
The 22-year-old hadn’t kicked a ball since December due to a shoulder injury, which was the latest in a series of issues that made him a barely-seen figure during the first half of the campaign.
But the Scotland international has been winning rave reviews over the past six weeks; not only for his defending and attacking, which has helped Mikel Arteta’s side reach an FA Cup final, but also for his leadership qualities.
However, former Liverpool midfielder Murphy just can’t see Tierney ever becoming Robertson’s equal, telling The Glasgow Evening Times when asked if Tierney will reach that level: “No. Robertson just has an unbelievable, consistent performance level and mentality. The fitness he has got and the quality in the final third, I say no because the level is so high.
“He has set the bar as a left-back remarkably high. “He is in the top three in the Premier League for assists and what both fullbacks are doing at Liverpool is phenomenal. But Arsenal have got a really good signing there in Tierney and he is only going to improve.”
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