Arteta 'extremely disappointed' if Arsenal's Tierney not freed early for City

Mikel Arteta says he will be “extremely disappointed” if Kieran Tierney is not cleared to face Manchester City on Saturday, even though the defender is in self-isolation after a Covid-19 scare in the Scotland squad.

Tierney was told to quarantine for 14 days last Tuesday week after his teammate Stuart Armstrong showed positive for coronavirus during routine Uefa testing on international duty in Glasgow. Arsenal and Tierney expressed their frustration at the decision, stressing that he was socially distant from Armstrong despite being identified as a close contact, and intensive efforts are continuing to ensure he is available for selection at the Etihad Stadium.

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The Arsenal club doctor, Gary O’Driscoll, is leading discussions with the Lothian Health Protection Team, the Scottish government and the Scottish FA, with the Lothian team having the final say. Tierney returned negative tests before and after the self-isolation was imposed and Arsenal believe there would be no risk in safely returning him to London, so he can play against City.

Reports in Scotland suggested Tierney returned a positive Covid-19 test two months ago; that has not been confirmed although Arteta appeared to suggest there is more to the case than meets the eye. “We have tried to do all the right things to keep the players safe,” the manager said. “We know the history with the player and what happened in the last few months with him as well. So we are very reassured that there is no risk for him to be involved with us. That is the case we are defending really strongly with the authorities. I will be extremely disappointed if he is not able to play at the weekend.”

A decision is expected on Friday. Arsenal have pointed out Tierney would be tested again for Covid-19, if he is permitted to return to their training ground.

One player certain not to be involved is Mesut Özil, who was left out of Arsenal’s Europa League squad last week and could face a similar fate when the 25-man group for Premier League games is finalised on Tuesday. Arteta said it had been “really tough” to omit Özil, who turned 32 on Thursday, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos and said he had not enjoyed the conversation with his players.

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“I wanted to tell them face to face before releasing the squad,” he said. “I explained the reasons why and the numbers we had, that it was really difficult for me to tell them but this is the restriction and rules, and that they have to respect that decision and try to train in the best possible way, help the team in that moment and see what happens in December.”

Arteta said it was “down to us too” to ensure two such senior players remain motivated, and suggested Özil simply does not fit into his team’s structure. Arsène Wenger suggested this week that players with Özil’s more creative, less athletic gifts are being “kicked out” of elite football but the current manager believes each case is individual.

“We have a lot of talented players,” he said. “But you have to find a way to fit him in, you know, and they have to create a cohesion around the team to make the team function in the best possible way.”