Kieran Tierney has sent a message to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with his goal and performance against Zurich, believes Gunners legend Martin Keown.
The Scot scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at the Emirates, which guaranteed Arsenal finished top of their Europa League group.
The 25-year-old has fallen down the pecking order this season, starting just three Premier League matches so far this campaign, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu moving ahead of him in Arteta’s plans.
Keown, though, believes the left-back has shown how valuable he is with his display on Thursday night, with a brilliantly taken goal and all-round performance.
‘I’m a really big fan of Kieran Tierney,’ Tierney told BT Sport. ‘We talked last year about captain material. I think he’s had to show quite a lot of resolve when he’s been third choice for a lot of the season.
‘He’s really not a third choice. He’s come on in I think 10 or 11 games this season, he’s had an involvement, but most of his football has come in this competition.
‘That is an outstanding finish. And that is a message. It’s a message about the strength of the squad and it’s a message to the manager to say, look don’t forget me. I’m here if you need me.’
Tierney has not made any complaints about his lack of game time and says that there will be no drop in his commitment whether he is starting or on the bench.
‘I want to play every single chance I can get but I’m just going to keep working hard,’ he said.
‘The manager knows that I’ll give 100 per cent, every single day whether I’m starting or not, I’ll support the team from the bench.
‘If I need to come on or if I start, I’ll give everything.’
Tierney will likely get a chance against Chelsea on Sunday as Tomiyasu suffered a muscular injury on Thursday night, while Zinchenko is still not fully fit.
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