Kieran Tierney says he found trying to play as an inverted full-back at Arsenal as “alien” to him when boss Mikel Arteta took over at the club.
Arsenal, like many of the top clubs including Manchester City, often move their full-backs into central positions of the pitch when in possession of the ball.
Tierney is currently on loan at Real Sociedad in Spain having found himself behind Oleksandr Zinchenko in the pecking order at the Gunners and admits he found it difficult to adapt to Arteta’s ideas.
“At Arsenal, the left back can be one of the most central players in the team,” he told the Daily Mail. “If it’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, then he is one of the biggest creators from a central position.
“When that got introduced it was alien to me. I had never played centre midfield, I started as a winger. I was trying to learn that when I was at Arsenal.
“When you see how well it works it is hard to question it. My choice was to just get on with it and learn and I got to practise it with one of the best. It’s so natural to Zinchenko, he makes it look so easy.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 26-year-old joined Arsenal from Celtic in 2019 but injury problems have stagnated what had looked like a promising career at the Gunners, and Tierney admits he does not know what his future holds after his loan spell in Spain ends.
“It’s hard to say,” he added. “I loved my time there and I still have two years on the contract.
“I am very grateful to Arsenal. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I am absolutely loving it here. I feel I have adapted quite well and I hope I can return the faith the club have shown.
“This is a very, very talented squad with world-class players and so many have come from the academy. It’s an amazing story.”
